On Tuesday, the top candidate Franziska Giffey was again the Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey. Like every Tuesday for more than a year, she chaired the session of the Berlin Senate in the morning. The agenda included the follow-up to the election, but also topics that are now almost common, such as how to deal with the “last generation” of climate protectors. The comforting, calming feeling that comes over you when you fall back into old routines sets in briefly. But there was something there.
Less than 24 hours earlier it could have been that the “model Giffey”, as the politician Giffey is also described, would have reached the end of his life cycle. There was unrest in the state executive of the Berlin Social Democrats, some of which sounded like outright plans for a coup. The election result was a “watershed,” said deputy state party leader Kian Niroomand. “It can not go on like this”. Kevin Hönicke, member of the board of directors, also demanded that “it shouldn’t go on like this”.
A historic Berlin defeat
The House of Representatives election was repeated on Sunday; the CDU was by far the strongest party, the SPD and the Greens each won 18.4 percent of the vote. While the Greens stayed in the city just below their historically best result, it was a historic defeat for the Social Democrats. On Monday, some comrades in the background demanded quite directly that Giffey had to go. Before the meeting of the state board on Monday evening, it was said that the chances for the co-state chairman were just fifty percent. A former finance senator has already been traded as an interim candidate, Kevin Kühnert, general secretary of the SPD, as a joker.
The pressure Giffey was under was already visible to her. Sometimes she seemed too professional in her approach, with that very bright smile. On Monday there was little of it. The Giffey model had a defect. She couldn’t say more about it now, “I don’t want to say any more,” she replied around noon at the press conference in the Willy Brandt House, the headquarters of the federal party. Once again questions had been asked about her future.
It was day two of a war of nerves that you really can’t wish on anyone. Already after the first forecasts on Sunday evening it was clear that it would be tight for the SPD. And it wasn’t about winning the election. “It wasn’t enough for first place and we have to see if it’s enough for second place,” was Giffey’s motto for the evening. But with every additional vote counted, her prospects of being able to remain governing mayor worsened. In the end, just 105 votes separate them from the Greens.
Since then she has not only been fighting for the power of her national association, but also for her own importance as a politician. Without the office of Governing Mayor, there would not be much after Giffey lost the direct mandate to an almost unknown Christian Democrat in her constituency. As a top candidate, she can only enter the House of Representatives via the state list.
She can only keep the Red City Hall in alliance with the Greens and Left
During the course of Monday there was a lot of encouragement from the federal party for Giffey. Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood behind the comrade in a similarly demonstrative manner, as did party chairmen Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil. But it was still unclear how the state executive of the SPD would behave. The meeting after the election defeat was also seen as an opportunity for the strong party left to take a stand against the more party right around Giffey and co-chairman Raed Saleh.
But Giffey apparently forestalled them by offering to resign early in the meeting. “My party gave me backing on the federal executive board today, and the state executive board did the same,” she said, visibly more relaxed after the meeting. “If the party disagrees, then I made it clear today that I’m not sticking to my position.” Together with her co-chair, she had been commissioned to conduct the exploratory talks.
It’s a pretty tricky maneuver. Because the Social Democrats can only keep the Red City Hall if they continue their alliance with the Greens and the Left. “Of course we will also talk to our coalition partners about how to proceed,” said Giffey. At the same time, she has now stated several times that a left-wing coalition must change its policy after this election result. The previous alliance is no longer perceived “as a joint project”. The protests of the voters must be taken seriously. “A change agenda is needed in the areas of housing construction, transport, administrative reform, but above all internal security.”
It is unclear how she intends to push through such changes with her coalition partners. The SPD would go into the relaunch of this alliance severely weakened. Therefore, after the state board meeting, Giffey also outlined the possibility of a grand coalition with the CDU, and soundings should begin at the end of this week. In this case, the Governing Mayor Giffey would be the MP Franziska Giffey.