The Christian Democrats are the strongest party in Berlin for the first time in two decades.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The CDU has won the re-election to the Berlin House of Representatives. According to initial projections, she received 27.5 percent of the votes. The SPD reached 18.4 percent, the Greens 18.4 percent, the left 12.6 percent, the AfD 9.1 percent and the FDP 4.5 percent. Other parties accounted for 9.5 percent.
For the CDU, the current status is a gain of 9.5 percent compared to 2021. The SPD loses a moderate 3.0 percent, the Greens lose 0.5 percent. The Left Party is down 1.5 percent. The AfD can gain 1.1 percent, but was recently much higher in forecasts. The FDP loses 2.6 percent and has to worry about entering the House of Representatives due to the five percent hurdle.
So far, a coalition of SPD, Greens and Left has governed the city, and this coalition could continue. However, it is still unclear whether the Greens can also overtake the SPD and how this will shift their claims to power. The CDU is likely to lack the majority coalition options for a regency despite the election victory.
The Christian Democrats are the strongest political force in the capital for the first time in around 20 years. As expected, CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja raised the leadership claim for his party in an interview with ARD: “The government mandate lies with Kai Wegner, the current government has been voted out.”
Franziska Giffey admitted her election defeat, but initially avoided making clear statements about how to proceed or personal consequences. “This result shows that Berliners are not satisfied with the way things are now,” she said on Sunday evening at the SPD election party in Berlin. “They want things to be different.”
The goal of the SPD was to become the strongest force in the state government – and that is still the case. This means that whoever has the strongest election result and “everyone who wants to govern in this country” must organize a stable political majority. “And that’s the question that’s relevant to us now,” she explained cryptically.
According to forecasts, the CDU will be the strongest force, but the SPD with Franziska Giffey could continue to govern.
(Photo: IMAGO/Stefan Zeitz)
According to the Wahlen research group, turnout was 65 percent. The value is significantly lower than in 2021 and 2016, but slightly higher than the state returning officer had previously expected. According to the election researchers, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Giffey also had no decisive office bonus. 32 percent of those surveyed want to keep them in office, but 27 percent support the CDU’s top candidate, Kai Wegner.
With agency material
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