Germany live blog: Left takes action against the rich and current political developments

Germany live blog:

The Left is taking legal action against Reiche's Instagram video

09/27/2026, 08:47 Reading time: 1 min.

Katherina Reiche (CDU), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, makes a press statement after the first day of her trip to Abu Dhabi in November 2025

Berlin regional association sees right to equal opportunities violated +++ Former BSW chairwoman Wolf open to AfD ban proceedings +++ Berlin SPD wants to explore forming a government with the left +++ all developments in the live blog

The left takes action against the rich

The Berlin Left is taking action against Economics Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU). A lawyer's letter quoted by “Spiegel” shows that the Left is defending itself against a video by Reiche that was published on the ministry's Instagram account three days ago.

In it, Reiche warns of the consequences of the Left's election victory in the capital last Sunday, without mentioning the party by name. The fact that a party in Berlin is including expropriations in its program, a party “that openly practices anti-Semitism, that scares the Jews in this city, fights Jewish life, that cheerfully welcomes organized crime at election parties, is not only dangerous for the capital, it is dangerous for Germany as an investment location,” says the minister in the video.

The regional association of the Left sees this as violating the party's right to equal opportunities, as the video was distributed through the account of the Ministry of Economics. “The publication of the party-politically one-sided criticism of our client on the Federal Ministry’s Instagram channel, which is financed with state funds, represents a misuse of public resources and significantly violates the requirement of neutrality,” says the lawyer’s letter, from which “Spiegel” quotes. The Left's lawyer calls the publication of the video unconstitutional in an interview with the news magazine.

The Berlin Left Party demands that Reiche should stop the distribution of the video and issue a cease and desist declaration. The party is giving Reiche until next Tuesday to do so, otherwise she wants to turn to the Federal Constitutional Court.

Katja Wolf open to AfD ban proceedings

After the split from the Wagenknecht party, the former Thuringian BSW boss Katja Wolf is open to an AfD ban procedure. If a public expert hearing is now held for the first time, the fear that such a ban procedure will be handled too lightly can no longer be maintained, said the chairwoman of the new regional party Thuringia.Gerecht to the German Press Agency.

On Wednesday, lawyers, experts and celebrities will speak at a hearing in the Thuringian state parliament on the question of a possible AfD ban procedure.

“After examining the results, the state government in the Bundesrat and the parties in the Bundestag should work to place such an examination procedure in the hands of the constitutional guardians,” said Wolf. This should also happen against the background of “not having to be accused at some point of not having exhausted all the means of a defensive democracy”.

Weber: Quickly clarify candidacy for Steinmeier's successor

The deputy CSU chairman Manfred Weber is calling for an agreement between the Union and the SPD on a common candidate for the federal presidential election within the next four weeks. “We don’t need a long struggle now, just a clear signal,” said the chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP) to the German Press Agency. “That’s why we should come to an agreement in the coming weeks and create clarity before the CSU party conference at the end of October.” The party conference will take place on October 23rd and 24th in Munich.

Weber spoke out in favor of the Bavarian state parliament president Ilse Aigner, who was also brought into play by CSU leader Markus Söder. “Ilse Aigner has exactly the qualities that we now need for the office of Federal President: political experience, a clear stance against enemies of democracy and, above all, the ability to bring people together,” she said. “It can bridge divides, get people out of their corners and bubbles and appeal to all Germans.”

“The CSU stands united behind Ilse Aigner.”

Manfred Weber, deputy CSU chairman

The Federal Assembly, which is made up of the 630 members of the Bundestag and the same number of voters from the states, will decide on the successor to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on January 30, 2027. According to calculations by experts, the Union and SPD have a majority of around 50 votes.

The leaders of the three coalition parties must now agree on a joint proposal. A quick decision would also underline the coalition's ability to act, said CSU Vice President Weber.

Health insurance companies warn SPD about care blockade

The nursing care insurance companies are warning the SPD not to block the announced nursing care reform. “Not acting would be fatal,” said the head of the National Association of Health Insurance Funds, Oliver Blatt, to the German Press Agency. “The care reform must now come to the German Bundestag.”

Blatt reiterated: “There is a red alert in nursing.” It has long been known that care will accumulate a deficit of 4.4 billion euros by the end of the year. “In just a few months the money will simply run out.” His appeal is “currently aimed particularly at the SPD,” said Blatt.

Blatt renewed the health insurance companies' demand to finance so-called non-insurance benefits such as pension contributions for caring relatives from tax revenue. This alone is worth five billion euros.

Rhein calls for a continuation of the “cityscape” debate

After the AfD election successes, Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein believes it is necessary to continue the discussion about changing the "cityscape" triggered by statements by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (both CDU). The debate that Merz initiated was right, Rhein told “Bild am Sonntag”. However, it was then said “hastyly”: “You can’t discuss it like that.” Rhein made it clear: “Yes, we have to discuss it, and in the end we also have to learn lessons from it.”

Merz said about a year ago that the federal government was correcting previous failures in migration policy and making progress, "but of course we still have this problem in the cityscape." He later specified that problems were caused by migrants who did not have permanent residence status, did not work and did not follow the rules in Germany.

Prime Minister Rhein said the migration crisis had been addressed with “big steps” but had not yet been resolved. "Of course we have a problem, for example with immigration into the social systems. You have to say it like that and then find a solution." There is also an issue with crime committed by immigrants. "It doesn't make any sense to hide these issues behind a firewall or never discuss them again. They won't disappear because of that," said Rhein.

Berlin's SPD wants to talk to the left about forming a government

The Berlin SPD wants to talk to the Left about possible government cooperation. The state executive board had unanimously decided to accept the Left Party's invitation to exploratory talks, the Social Democrats announced in the evening.

The exploratory team should include up to five people: These include the two state chairmen Bettina König and Steffen Krach as well as Derya Caglar for the parliamentary group. Depending on the topic of discussion, there would also be up to two additional members of the executive state executive committee or other party experts.

The Left was by far the strongest force in the election for the Berlin House of Representatives last Sunday with 25.7 percent. A party conference decided by a large majority to invite the Greens and the SPD to explore a possible red-green-red alliance. The Left wants to appoint its top candidate Elif Eralp as the governing mayor for the first time. The SPD only came in fifth place in the election.

Tens of thousands demonstrate for the welfare state

Tens of thousands took to the streets at rallies marking the unions' nationwide day of action for the welfare state and democracy. The police in Nuremberg alone counted between 20,000 and 25,000 people. She named 12,000 participants for Essen and 15,000 for Frankfurt. There were around 13,000 people in Hanover and 5,500 in Berlin.

The organizers from the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) sometimes cited higher numbers. In other parts of Germany, tens of thousands also demonstrated under the motto: "Hard earned! Your work. Your health. Your pension."

DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi announced further action against social cuts at the rally in Essen. “We will not simply allow ourselves to be robbed of the social standards we have built up over many years,” she said. Fahimi once again sharply criticized calls for longer working hours and a relaxation of the eight-hour day. The pension without deductions after 45 years of insurance must also remain.

Verdi boss Frank Werneke accused the ruling coalition of an “attack on the rights of dependent employees and the welfare state”. There must finally be an end to the “class struggle from above,” he said in Frankfurt.

Dobrindt: Use Frontex more for deportations

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) wants to make greater use of the European border protection agency Frontex for returns. “We are convinced that we can make greater use of Frontex in return procedures,” said Dobrindt on Saturday at the beginning of the so-called Munich Migration Meeting. In the future, Frontex should support “organizing return procedures in transit states” – i.e. in countries outside the European Union.

“Of course, only with the willingness of these countries,” the minister added. “And we want to continue to use Frontex more in the future when it comes to Dublin procedures within the European Union,” said Dobrindt. The Dublin procedure checks which European state is responsible for examining an asylum application.

Dobrindt spoke of a “further development” of Frontex. This is also about “an expanded mandate for Frontex”. This is “urgently necessary”.

The EU Commission will present a new, “stronger mandate for Frontex” in the “near future,” said EU Interior Commissioner Markus Brunner.

BSW leadership continues to support cooperation with AfD in Saxony-Anhalt

In the ongoing government formation process in Saxony-Anhalt, the BSW federal leadership has once again spoken out in favor of cooperation with all parties in the newly elected state parliament. "We will decide based on content. We are fighting for majorities for our concepts and for our political content. And we do not differentiate who we work with based on party color," said federal chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali at the party conference of the Saxon BSW regional association in Leipzig.

There must be an end to trench warfare and social division. Politicians and the media are solely working on their attitude towards the AfD, criticizes Mohamed Ali. "Overall, we have a political debate that is only focused on this one question: What do you think of the AfD? Which side of the firewall are you on?" Against this background, the AfD's strengthening should not come as a surprise.

In Saxony-Anhalt, the BSW will do exactly what the party promised in the run-up to the election. That can't be a surprise. Mohamed Ali once again rejected a coalition with the AfD faction in Magdeburg.

The people in Saxony-Anhalt voted for the policy change, said Federal Secretary General Oliver Ruhnert to the delegates in Leipzig. If there are overlaps with the parties in the Magdeburg state parliament, “we should agree,” said Ruhnert. This also applies to the AfD. "If we have overlaps with the AfD because that makes sense for people, then we will do that. Anyone who doesn't want that is in the wrong place in this party."

Frei warns the Greens and the SPD against working with the left

Union faction leader Thorsten Frei warns the Greens and the SPD against government cooperation with the Left in Berlin. “The Berlin Left Party maintains disturbingly close contact with Jew-haters and people from the orbit of organized crime,” the CDU politician told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”. “The SPD and the Greens must influence their state associations so that they do not fall for lure offers.”

Berlin, as the capital and showcase of Germany around the world, must not “fall into the hands of the Left Party, which represents a blatant threat to our security,” argued Frei.

In the election for the Berlin House of Representatives last Sunday, the Left was by far the strongest force. She now wants to forge a red-green-red alliance and, with her top candidate Elif Eralp, become the governing mayor for the first time. On Friday evening, a Left state party conference decided to invite the Greens and the SPD to exploratory discussions - these are scheduled to begin next week.

At its party conference, the Berlin Left resolutely defended itself against accusations of anti-Semitism, but was also self-critical. “These allegations are not nuanced criticism, but have reached a destructive dimension,” said Eralp. At the same time, she affirmed that she would “strengthen diverse Jewish life and fight anti-Semitism.”

The Left state chairwoman Kerstin Wolter was self-critical: “In our party, too, mistakes were made, boundaries were crossed, sentences were spoken that frightened Jews,” she said. Both possible coalition partners had called on the Left to clarify that it stands against anti-Semitism.