The Berlin CDU wants to start coalition talks with the SPD. After the repeat election, a change of power from red-green-red to black-red is imminent. The CDU’s top candidate, Kai Wegner, made a corresponding proposal to the party’s state executive committee, which unanimously approved it. If the coalition is formed, Wegner would succeed Franziska Giffey (SPD) as Governing Mayor of Berlin.
The decision by the CDU indicates a change of power in the capital, which has been governed by the SPD, the Greens and the Left since 2016, although the previous tripartite alliance would also have a majority in the new parliament. Should black and red work, Franziska Giffey (SPD), who has only been head of government since December 2021, would have to leave the town hall. She has declared her willingness to work as a senator in the new state government.
The Berlin CDU is striving to form a government quickly. Coalition negotiations with the SPD are to begin as early as next week, as CDU top candidate Kai Wegner announced on Thursday. On Monday it is planned to set up the working groups for the negotiations. In the days that followed, the umbrella group would meet with the top representatives of the parties for the first time and discuss the further procedure.
In the repeat election on February 12, the SPD ended up with 18.4 percent of the votes, well behind the election winner, the CDU (28.4 percent). On Wednesday evening, the SPD state executive announced that the party wants to conduct coalition negotiations with the CDU. The decision was made with 25 yes votes to 12 no votes.
Giffey spoke of “respect for the election result” for the CDU and more content overlaps with the CDU. With the previous partners, the Greens and the Left, there could not have been a real new beginning. The Greens “were getting signals that goals that were important to us were being put into perspective,” said Giffey. But the decision was “very difficult”.
She admitted that there was “a lot of skepticism” within the SPD about a coalition with the larger CDU. The SPD leadership hopes that a change to the CDU will give them more chances of success in the next parliamentary elections in 2026.