The Left, the Greens and the SPD begin preliminary talks to form a government in Berlin

A week and a half after the Berlin election, talks about forming a government in the capital start today (11 a.m.). Top politicians from the Left, as election winners, as well as from the Greens and SPD initially meet for a “preliminary discussion”: They aim to reach clear, joint agreements on the recently hotly debated topic of anti-Semitism, how to deal with racism and organized crime.

The Greens and the Left had declared such an agreement to be a “basic prerequisite” for the start of exploratory talks. The background to this are incidents on the left that caused great concern, especially among potential coalition partners.

Incidents caused concern

At an election party for the Neukölln Left on September 20th, both the head of an Arab-born and partly criminal clan and a controversial pro-Palestinian activist were present. He is said to be close to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU.

Parts of the Berlin Left have long been criticized for their positions on Israel and Palestine and anti-Semitism. In view of the post-election debate, top Berlin officials repeatedly assured that the party stood for the protection of Jewish life.

The Left wants to appoint a governing mayor for the first time

In the election for the Berlin House of Representatives on September 20th, the Left was by far the strongest force with 25.7 percent. They are followed by the CDU (18.8 percent), AfD (16.3 percent), the Greens (14.3 percent) and the SPD (12.1 percent). The previously ruling CDU/SPD coalition has therefore lost its majority. The Left now wants to forge a red-green-red coalition. With her top candidate and co-parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp, she could nominate a governing mayor in Berlin for the first time.

Explorations starting next week?

In the past few days there have been a variety of two-person meetings between the Left, the Greens and the SPD. It is unclear how long the upcoming “preliminary discussion” in three-person format will last. According to reports, there could also be an extension on Friday. If an agreement is reached, the explorations would begin next week. The three parties have appointed exploratory teams each consisting of three or four top politicians.

Exploratory talks are not coalition negotiations. Rather, those involved decide which points are particularly important to them and whether coalition negotiations would even be promising. Such conversations can also fail.