Although the CDU is the clear winner of the re-election for the Berlin House of Representatives, the SPD, the Greens and the Left are still striving to continue their coalition. However, the question of which leadership this could be under remains exciting: Giffey’s SPD is only 92 votes ahead of the Greens.
The gap between the SPD and the Greens in the parliamentary elections in Berlin is narrower than previously thought. Contrary to what has been determined in the previous results, the Berlin Greens in the Mitte district got 21 votes more, as reported by the “Tagesspiegel”. The already narrow lead of the Berlin SPD shrinks to just 92 votes. It is not yet known whether there will be changes to the result in other districts.
In the repeat election for the House of Representatives in Berlin on February 12, the CDU emerged as the clear winner. In the fight for second place, however, every vote counts: Even in the first provisional final result, the SPD only had 105 votes more than the Greens. After the result changed due to a recount in the Lichtenberg district, the Social Democrats were initially able to increase their lead to 113 votes. Because of the SPD’s wafer-thin lead, even a few additional votes can cause changes in the election result and have a corresponding impact on the composition of parliament.
Ultimately, which party receives the most votes after the Berlin CDU could also decide whether the governing mayor Franziska Giffey from the SPD remains in office or whether the top candidate of the Greens, Bettina Jarasch, becomes head of government in a possible red-green-red government. Because despite the CDU victory, the previous government partners SPD, Greens and Left have announced that they want to continue the coalition.
After an initial exploratory talk on Tuesday, the three parties agreed on a second talk for next Thursday. Giffey said they discussed the reasons for the February 12 election outcome and what changes needed to be made in the collaboration. “It is clear to everyone that there must be changes,” said the SPD state chairman – both in terms of content and in dealing with each other if there should be further cooperation.
Lederer announced that the three parties wanted to get into the thematic discussion on Thursday and then take the necessary time for it. Greens top candidate Jarasch said it was thoughtful talks – similar formulations were also used by Lederer and Giffey.
In order to appoint the head of government itself, the CDU would also need a coalition partner. The election winner had initially invited to exploratory talks with the SPD and the Greens, which began on Friday. On Monday there was a second meeting between the CDU and SPD exploratory teams. Those involved want to find out in the talks whether they see a sufficient basis for starting coalition negotiations. The second exploratory meeting between the CDU and the Greens is scheduled for Wednesday. The CDU and SPD will meet for the third time on Friday. CDU top candidate Kai Wegner has not yet announced a preference for one of the two parties.
