Madrid pensioner’s return deal follows eviction protests
Lawyer Beatriz Duro says an agreement with the flat’s owners would let 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal return after hospital discharge, subject to signing.
An agreement with the owners of her Madrid flat could allow Maricarmen Abascal, 87, to return home after leaving hospital, her lawyer Beatriz Duro said. The arrangement has yet to be confirmed as signed, and no return date has been given.
Duro said the proposed rent would be similar to what Abascal had previously paid. Abascal is being treated in hospital for exhaustion, and Duro said the parties aimed to speed up the procedures.
Abascal had lived in the Retiro neighbourhood flat for 70 years. She was removed on a stretcher after her eviction, which triggered protests over housing costs and tenant protections.
Her case has become a focus of demonstrations across Spain, adding pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government to address high rents and a shortage of affordable homes. In Madrid, protesters set up about 100 tents in Puerta del Sol; tens of thousands also protested across the country, according to France 24.
The government is seeking agreement on a housing package to put before cabinet, but its coalition lacks a parliamentary majority, leaving the prospects for legislation unclear. Abascal’s supporters said her rent had risen by 275 per cent to €2,650 a month.
