From the repetition of the parliamentary elections in Berlin CDU as the strongest party emerged. After counting the votes, she comes to 28.2 percent. That is about ten percentage points more than in 2021.
The SPD suffers losses and gets only 18.4 percent of the votes. Only The Greens are 105 votes behind also with 18.4 percent. The Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey could therefore keep her office. However, she and the top woman in the Greens, Bettina Jarasch, were unable to win a direct mandate and instead lost their constituency to the respective CDU candidate.
The left accounts for 12.2 percent, the AfD 9.1 percent. The FDP failed with 4.6 percent at the five percent hurdle. The proportion of voters who voted for the other parties is also relatively high in Berlin. It is 9.1 percent.
This Sunday in Berlin, votes were also taken at the municipal level in the elections to the assemblies in the twelve Berlin districts.
voter turnout
Around 2.4 million citizens were asked to vote for the House of Representatives election. In the Berlin districts, 2.7 million people were allowed to vote, and EU foreigners are also entitled to vote here. Apparently, this time the election went without major incidents.
Voter turnout was around 63.1 percent and, as expected, significantly lower than in 2021, when 75.4 percent of citizens went to the polls. However, a federal election was taking place at the same time. Voter turnout also fell in comparison with the 2016 House of Representatives elections – 66.9 percent at the time.
The majorities
With the result are three coalitions possible: The continuation of the previously governing red-green-red alliance, a black-green coalition or a formerly so-called grand coalition led by the CDU and with the junior partner SPD.
Even if the CDU has become the strongest force, it may not have any power option, namely if the SPD, Greens and Left Party agree to continue their cooperation.
A black-green alliance, although mathematically possible, seems politically unlikely because both parties campaigned strongly against each other. A black-red government would be conceivable, especially if the SPD only ranked third, behind the CDU and the Greens.
reactions to the outcome of the election
Kai Wegner, CDU top candidate, said in front of his supporters: “That’s phenomenal. Thank you very much for this government order. We’ve felt it in the last few weeks: people want a political change and this change is now also reflected in the numbers.” Wegner emphasized that he would invite both the SPD and the Greens to talks.
Apparently touched Franziska Giffey at the election party of the SPD to the public. The SPD must acknowledge that it “didn’t come first” and that the CDU was the strongest force. “We are now in a situation where we have to see what that means for us.” It was “a bitter evening” for the SPD, the governing mayor said later on ZDF. “Berliners have shown that they want things to be different.”
Greens’ top candidate Bettina Jarasch repeated on ZDF the preference she had expressed during the election campaign for a continuation of the previous coalition – although “preferably under the leadership of the Greens,” as she emphasized. “It was a tough election campaign. We started with a message of change at a time of crisis when many are afraid of change.”
There were also reactions from federal politics: SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert said on ZDF: “Of course it hurts. But it is clear that whoever wants to govern must have a majority.” Carsten Linnemanthe deputy CDU federal chairman, said: “These election results show that the people of Berlin want a change.” AfD co-boss Tino Chrupalla also said: “The citizens voted out red-green-red. There are two winners, the CDU and the AfD. The CDU sucked off most of the protest voters.”
Background for replay election
The fact that Berliners were called to the polling stations again after only 16 months was due to the unprecedented chaos that had occurred on the regular election day on September 26, 2021. Missing ballot papers, temporarily closed polling stations, huge queues in front of the voters and votes even after 6 p.m. – the administration in Berlin was obviously completely overwhelmed that day.
The irregularities were so serious for the Berlin Constitutional Court that it declared the elections for the House of Representatives and the elections in the Berlin districts invalid and ordered a repetition. The Federal Constitutional Court still has to decide whether the Bundestag elections in Berlin will be repeated in whole or in part. It is still unclear when the Karlsruhe judges will do this.
In contrast to a new election, the length of the legislative period does not change in the repeat election: In Berlin, it is five years at both state and local level, calculated from the original election date on September 26, 2021. So the next Berlin election is in autumn 2026 – if everything goes as planned.