STORY: Thoughtful faces at the SPD when the first forecasts for the repeat election to the Berlin House of Representatives became known on Sunday evening. So much is clear, the CDU has replaced the SPD as the strongest force in the capital. And that with a clear distance. The Social Democrats with the top candidate and acting mayor Franziska Giffey achieved around 18 percent. Just like the Greens, which is why second place in the ranking of voters’ favor was still fought over on Sunday. Giffey acknowledged the defeat in the election immediately after the first figures were announced: “It hasn’t come in first place. And we don’t yet know if it’s in second place. We have to be very clear, this result is one that shows Berliners are not satisfied with the way things are now. They wish things would be different.” Despite the poor performance of the SPD. The red-red-green Senate could continue to govern, either with Giffey or the Greens’ top candidate Bettina Jarasch at the top. Whether it will be enough for a coalition between the CDU and the SPD is still open, as is the question of whether the FDP will then be available as a junior partner in a so-called Germany coalition. To do this, the Liberals must first make it into the House of Representatives.