Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election for Sunday, 29 November, just days after rightwing parties blocked his minority government's emergency measures on housing amid widespread protests. The election will be held on the earliest possible date procedurally, because apparently nothing says "urgent housing crisis" like an immediate trip to the ballot box.

In a fierce address, Sánchez framed the vote as a stark choice between "regressing" under a "far-right coalition" or "keeping moving forward" with his progressive administration. He said the election will be about who will guide Spain through a period of disruption amid high political tensions, global instability, climate emergency, and uncertainty posed by the rise of AI - because nothing calms a housing protest quite like a philosophical debate about machine learning.

The conservative People's Party is very pleased with the announcement. "At last," they say on their X, with a slick election video set to the EU's anthem "Ode to Joy" to go along with it. Nothing says "we blocked your housing measures" like a triumphant Beethoven soundtrack.

Meanwhile, in France, hundreds of schools remain closed amid planned demonstrations across the country, and a 15-year-old lost a hand during clashes with police at a schools protest. So, to recap: Spain is having an election because of housing protests, France is having protests because of… schools, and the EU anthem is now a campaign jingle. Europe: still live, still chaotic.