Spain's Congress rejected two government decree-laws on housing measures Friday, dealing a significant defeat to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority coalition and intensifying calls for a snap election.

Lawmakers voted against the first decree 178 to 172 and the second 184 to 166. The measures had been rushed forward in response to nationwide protests sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home.

The first decree sought to suspend evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, extend certain rental leases by two years, impose tax increases on tourist apartments, and restrict purchases of residential properties by investment funds often labeled "vulture funds" by critics. The second aimed to make residential leases automatically renewable, effectively lengthening tenant protections at the expense of landlords.

Opposition came from the center-right Popular Party, the far-right Vox party, and the center-right Catalan separatist party Junts. Junts argued the proposals would reduce the supply of rental housing and drive up prices. Other regional parties also withheld support on the second decree.

Protesters gathered outside Congress during the debate, chanting slogans such as "your profits, our misery" and "shame on you" after the results. Housing groups have announced plans for further rallies Saturday.

Sánchez and Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez appealed to allies before the vote, but the last-minute effort failed. The rejection underscores the challenges facing the left-wing government in securing parliamentary majorities for its agenda.

Critics of the decrees maintained that heavy-handed interventions in the rental market ultimately harm tenants by discouraging investment and new construction. The outcome leaves existing rental laws in place without the proposed extensions and restrictions.