Berlin SPD parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh draws conclusions after historic election debacle

»People no longer ascribe to us any competencies in our core areas and don't know what we stand for. They don’t trust us anymore,” said the SPD politician, who headed the faction in the state parliament for 15 years. After such a turning point, one cannot simply return to business as usual. “The SPD was neither convincing in terms of its content nor its personnel,” was his self-critical conclusion.

The SPD only achieved 12.1 percent in Sunday's election and ended up in fifth place - a historic low. The Left was the strongest force with 25.7 percent. The CDU got 18.8, the AfD 16.3 and the Greens 14.3 percent. The Left now wants to forge a coalition with the Greens and the SPD. A coalition of the CDU, the Greens and the SPD would also be mathematically possible.

Berlin SPD facing question of direction

"The party would continue on the path to insignificance if those responsible did not dare to step into the second line in the event of such a disaster," said Saleh. "I neither ran this election campaign as the leading candidate nor made the underlying decisions." However, he supported both and accepts his share of responsibility for them.

The Berlin SPD is now faced with the question of whether to be part of a government with the Left and the Greens, to enter a government with the CDU and the Greens or to tolerate a minority government. “This question must not only be answered from a party-tactical perspective.”

Saleh has long been one of the most influential politicians in the capital. He has led the Berlin SPD parliamentary group since 2011 and was last confirmed in office in 2024.