It was difficult and there were also setbacks - but the Left, the Greens and the SPD in Berlin are taking an important step closer to a coalition. This is how things will continue after the exploratory discussions have been concluded.
The top politicians from the Left, the Greens and the SPD in Berlin have been talking about forming a government for a long time.
Berlin. The election winners, the Left Party, the Greens and the SPD, have taken an important step forward in forming a government in Berlin. Four weeks after the election to the Berlin House of Representatives, they successfully concluded their exploratory talks. The German Press Agency learned from circles of all three parties involved that the party committees are now being proposed to start coalition negotiations.
The Greens want to decide on this at a small party conference this Monday. In the case of the SPD, the state executive board will also decide on Monday based on the exploratory paper. Due to the two-week autumn break in Berlin, the Left has only scheduled a party conference for October 31st, which will decide on the start of coalition negotiations. If all three parties agree, these could start at the beginning of November.
The Left, the Greens and the SPD invited people to a joint press statement at the House of Statistics in Berlin-Mitte at 5 p.m., where they would like to provide information “on the end of the explorations”. According to dpa information, the plan is to explain the exploratory paper and the next steps.
The explorations started on Thursday last week. The three parties previously reached an agreement on how they would deal with anti-Semitic incidents in the ranks of the left in the event of a coalition. They are jointly committed to protecting Jewish life, Israel's right to exist and a two-state solution that should enable both Israel's security and the self-determination of the Palestinians.
Sanctions up to and including exclusion from the parliamentary group are also being considered. Against the background of several incidents on the Left, the Greens and the SPD made this agreement a prerequisite for the start of exploratory investigations.
In the exploratory discussions themselves, the topic of anti-Semitism caused irritation and even a temporary interruption of the discussions. Because the Left had all of its parliamentary group members sign a text that only partially corresponded to the previous agreement of all three parties on the topic. The Greens and the SPD criticized this. It is now clear: the joint text should become part of the coalition agreement if it comes to that.
What made matters worse was that the Left Party leadership had to deal with how to deal with Neukölln MP Vanessa Emde, who has attracted attention several times in the past for controversial statements critical of Israel. On Thursday evening, Emde sharply criticized the parliamentary group's statement on anti-Semitism on Instagram, which she had signed herself on Tuesday.
From the point of view of the group leadership, there is no longer any basis for cooperation. A discussion about this with Emde is planned next week. It is possible that she will be expelled from the Left faction. This in turn is likely to lead to heated debates within the Berlin Left. Solidarity with the Palestinians, combined with violent accusations against Israel, was an essential element of the left-wing election campaign, which was ultimately very successful, at least in some parts of Berlin.
In the Berlin election on September 20th, the Left was 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 - with their historically worst result - the SPD (12.1 percent). The previously ruling CDU/SPD coalition has lost its majority.
The desired three-party coalition of the Left, the Greens and the SPD would have 91 seats in the new Berlin House of Representatives, which would be 14 more than the absolute majority. A coalition of the CDU, the Greens and the SPD would also be possible, although the number of mandates would only be two seats above the absolute majority. CDU parliamentary group leader Stefan Evers had recently stated several times that he was open to talks about an alliance with the Greens and the SPD.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again urgently warned the SPD and the Greens against collaborating with the Left in Berlin. “Anyone who wants to strengthen the political center must not have conversations with left-wing radicals,” said the CDU leader at the Junge Union’s Germany Day in Bonn. “Stop going down this path.” The Union will fight against the left. “We stand up against anyone who questions Israel’s right to exist,” said Merz. Anti-Semitism has no place in Germany.
Parts of the Berlin Left have long been criticized for their positions on Israel and Palestine or for statements that could possibly be seen as anti-Semitic. An election party by the Neukölln Left on September 20th caused a stir. The leading member of the extended Remmo family associated with the clan milieu appeared there, as did a controversial pro-Palestinian activist. 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.
