The Left Party is demanding a complete prohibition on mandatory evictions when such actions result in residents becoming homeless. According to party leader Luigi Pantisano, evictions that lead to homelessness must be banned. He asserted that no person should be forced onto the streets unless a financially affordable replacement apartment is available for them. Pantisano emphasized that housing is a fundamental human right and must therefore be recognized as such. The politician further criticized the current system, stating that apartments are meant for living, not for exploiting people through continually escalating rents.
This demand is rooted in the death of an 87-year-old resident in Spain following a forced eviction. Maricarmen Abascal died just two weeks after being removed from her long-term residence. The senior stated that she could no longer afford the rent after an announced rent increase. This tragic event triggered massive protests across Spain regarding the current state of the housing market.
Pantisano described Maricarmen Abascal as a symbol of “rent madness” (Mietenwahnsinn)-a phenomenon he argued is also prevalent in Germany, referencing a specific case in Berlin from 2013. The party leader criticized the accelerating rise in rents, arguing that it inevitably leads to a situation where anyone who cannot keep up is effectively forced out.
