Search for coalition partners: the first exploratory meeting between the SPD and the Greens lasts more than five hours

The SPD and the Greens took a lot of time in their first exploratory discussion after the election to the Berlin House of Representatives. The meeting in the SPD regional office lasted five and a half hours on Friday, according to party circles. Results were not known.

From 9 a.m., the leaders of the Berlin SPD and the Greens discussed in the state party headquarters of the Social Democrats. Talks with the left are to follow in the afternoon. On Monday, the SPD will then work with the CDU and then with the FDP to explore what intersections there are for a possible start of coalition negotiations.

The SPD with its top candidate and mayor-designate Franziska Giffey had won the election last Sunday despite its worst post-war result of 21.4 percent – ahead of the Greens, CDU, Left, AfD and FDP. You can now choose the coalition partner. Various three-party alliances are possible. As before, the SPD could form a coalition with the Greens and the Left, but also with the CDU and FDP or the Greens and FDP.

Giffey had already left the coalition question open during the election campaign, but did reveal substantive preferences for the CDU and FDP and thus the Greens and Left, who have been co-ruling since 2016 upset against himself. They want to continue the coalition, as do large parts of the SPD base. But the CDU and FDP also see opportunities to forge an alliance with the SPD.

As a result of the explorations, Giffey wants to propose to the SPD state executive by mid-October who she wants to enter into coalition negotiations with. The new Berlin Senate, so their goal, should then be able to start work by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Berlin Greens have shown confidence that they will be able to continue the existing coalition with the SPD and the Left. “If you put the election programs and the party programs next to each other, then you see: the greatest overlaps are between red, green, red,” said co-chairman Werner Graf on Friday on rbb-Inforadio. “That is why we are very optimistic that we will get together there.”

Graf, who heads the Green Regional Association with Nina Stahr, expected that there will be objections from voters because of the mishaps in the election on Sunday. But he does not expect new elections. That is why talks to form a coalition should start now. “I don’t think we can just put Berlin on hold now.”

In the meantime, the parliamentary groups are already forming in the new House of Representatives. The SPD was Raed Saleh confirmed as leader of the parliamentary group, top candidate Kai Wegner takes over the office of the CDU. The AfD, with which no party wants to form a coalition, had already elected Kristin Brinker as the new group leader.

With new elections because of the Meanwhile, Giffey does not expect numerous breakdowns. Where there are ambiguities, they are counted again. In their opinion, there will be clarity in all of the more than 2,200 polling stations in the next few days. It is important, however, that the processes are processed in order to draw conclusions from them for future elections.

After the election on Sunday, many mishaps and problems became known, the regional returning officer Petra Michaelis resigned. Voters sometimes had to queue for hours. Ballot papers were missing or mixed up. The counting did not go smoothly everywhere, as election officials reported. In the meantime, counting is taking place again in several electoral districts. The constituency of left-wing top candidate Klaus Lederer is also affected.

Broadcast: evening show, October 1st, 2021, 7:30 p.m.