Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain called for early elections on Monday, days after his left-wing governing coalition, which lacks a majority in Parliament, lost a parliamentary vote to pass a package of emergency housing measures.
Mr. Sánchez, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, had become a hero to the global left for standing up to the Trump administration over Iran, supporting renewable energy and inclusive immigration policies. At home, his popularity was dented first by corruption accusations directed at his innermost circle, and then a major migration crisis spurred by the sudden surge of tens of thousands of migrants into a Spanish territory in North Africa.
It was the defeat of the housing measures, which Mr. Sánchez had hoped would soothe public anger at rising evictions and soaring rents, that amounted to the final straw. The loss showed that his government was essentially paralyzed and unable to pass legislation that its liberal base deemed vital.
But it also handed Mr. Sánchez, a wily tactician, an issue that could rally his left-wing base during the campaign, as he tries to defeat conservatives who currently outperform his Socialist Party in polls.
The current legislative term was meant to end next summer. The snap election will be held on Nov. 29, Mr. Sánchez said on Monday.
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