The ruling SPD did not win the repeat election in Berlin. After exploratory rounds with all possible coalition partners, the Governing Mayor Giffey wants her party to propose negotiations with the election winner, the CDU. She herself wants to remain part of the new Senate.
According to media reports, there are signs of a change of government in Berlin after the election to the House of Representatives. After discussions with the election winner, the CDU, and the previous coalition partners, the Greens and the Left, the SPD, together with the governing mayor, Franziska Giffey, want to propose to the state executive that negotiations with the CDU begin. If the committee does not follow the vote, Giffey wants to give up her post as state chairman of the Social Democrats, as reported by the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”, among others.
If, on the other hand, there are coalition negotiations with the CDU, CDU top candidate Kai Wegner could have high hopes for the executive chair in the Red City Hall. Giffey, on the other hand, would have to vacate the chair. In the past few days, it has been speculated that the former Federal Minister for Family Affairs could become a kind of super senator with extended tasks.
However, numerous other constellations are still possible, at least theoretically. For example, the CDU and the Greens also have a parliamentary majority. So far it is unclear how the CDU will decide. Wegner said at the weekend, “We’ll decide at the end of the week whether we want to start coalition negotiations with the SPD or with the Greens.”
In addition, it is not certain that the SPD basis will follow Giffey’s course and that a possible coalition agreement with the CDU would be approved. According to the FAZ, it is also conceivable that the traditionally more left-wing SPD state association could prevent a swing to the CDU with an early party conference.
The CDU clearly won the repeat election on February 12 with 28.2 percent. SPD and Greens both got 18.4 percent. With 53 votes, the Social Democrats only have a wafer-thin lead over the Greens. They did worse than ever in a House of Representatives election. The left came to 12.2 percent, the AfD to 9.1. The FDP flew with 4.6 percent from the parliament, which now has five instead of six parliamentary groups.
Since February 17, the parties have been exploring in exploratory talks whether there is a common basis for starting coalition negotiations and for forming a government. The CDU spoke three times each with the SPD and the Greens. SPD, Greens and Left also met three times.
