News blog about the state electionsStart of the exploratory talks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
September 28, 2026, 10:38 am|
First, the SPD speaks with its previous government partner, the Left. Prime Minister Schwesig is aiming for a three-way alliance with the Left and the Greens.
All developments in the election news blog
In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our news blog. You can also find all the news, analyzes and background information on the elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin on our topic pages.
Important updates
Exploratory discussions have begun
The Left wants to explore with the Greens and the SPD
The Left defends itself against accusations of anti-Semitism
SPD Vice Kiziltepe for coalition negotiations with the Left and the Greens
Left decides on explorations at party conference
Anna Schimpp
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Exploratory discussions have begun
One week after the state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, exploratory talks to form a new state government began. According to information from the German Press Agency, the SPD has been speaking to its previous government partner, the Left, at a secret location since the morning. The results should therefore be kept silent until the exploratory discussions have been completed.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Prime Minister and SPD state chairwoman Manuela Schwesig had announced that she would strive for a three-way alliance of the SPD, the Left and the Greens. Mathematically, it is the only option without the AfD for a stable majority in the Schwerin state parliament. The three parties have 39 of the 71 seats - the SPD has 29 MPs, the Left and the Greens have five each. The AfD, winner of the September 20 election, has 32 seats. It would be the only opposition faction.
The left is correspondingly confident in the discussions. The left-wing state chairman Hennis Herbst, who is also chairman of the new state parliamentary group, said the day after the election with regard to the SPD: “At the end of the day, they depend on us.”
Berlin
The Left wants to explore with the Greens and the SPD
The Left, as the winner of the Berlin election, wants to hold exploratory talks with the Greens and SPD to form a government in the capital. The delegates at a party conference that evening decided this with a large majority. The explorations should therefore examine whether the political prerequisites for starting coalition negotiations exist.
The party leadership now wants to officially invite people to do so. The talks could then begin next week, but there are no exact dates yet. According to reports, the Left initially wants to speak separately to representatives of the Greens and representatives of the SPD. The discussions should then continue in a three-way format.
The Greens and the SPD are likely to accept the invitation - even if there is skepticism in both parties about a possible alliance with the Left. According to a party spokeswoman, the state executive committee of the Greens decided to investigate. SPD state party leader Steffen Krach also expressed his willingness to hold such talks on Thursday. But there is no automatic guarantee that these will later lead to concrete coalition negotiations.
Berlin
The Left defends itself against accusations of anti-Semitism
The Berlin Left staunchly defends itself against accusations of anti-Semitism, but is also self-critical. “Jewish people must feel safe in our city,” said the new parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp at a party conference. “I will strengthen diverse Jewish life and fight anti-Semitism,” added the politician, who wants to become mayor after winning the Berlin election. Palestinian, Muslim or queer people should also be able to live safely in the city.
“I will strengthen diverse Jewish life and fight anti-Semitism.”
Left-wing top candidate Elif Eralp
In the election to the Berlin House of Representatives, the Left was by far the strongest force. She now wants to forge a coalition with the Greens and the SPD. Parts of the party have long been criticized for their positions on the Middle East conflict and anti-Semitism. Various voices warned against the party moving into the Red City Hall, including the Central Council of Jews.
“These allegations are not nuanced criticism, but have reached a destructive dimension,” said Eralp. “While a fascist party is about to come to power in Saxony-Anhalt, these people seriously believe that they can use this propaganda to prevent a democratic party that stands for social justice, diversity and democracy.” But that won't be of any use.
“Mistakes were also made in our party.”
Left state chairwoman Kerstin Wolter
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. "And I also say very clearly that where this happens, it does not happen in our name. And we have a duty to investigate these cases." The left is fighting against anti-Semitism and racism. “We stand up for Israel’s right to exist and a Palestine’s right to exist.” However, it is necessary to differentiate between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel.
Berlin
Greens want party members to be involved in government issues
The Berlin Greens want to closely involve their party members before a possible government is formed. “After successful explorations, a state committee (small party conference) will discuss the results and decide whether to enter into coalition negotiations,” said a statement from the Berlin state association of the Greens.
The basis for a stable government must be a coalition agreement. “This coalition agreement and also the staff who will be responsible for us in the government must be supported by the entire party,” said the Greens. The results after the coalition negotiations should therefore be discussed with the entire party and then asked the members of the party: “Do you want this coalition and do you want to follow us with our personnel proposal?”
In the election for the Berlin House of Representatives last Sunday, the Left was by far the strongest force with 25.7 percent. She is aiming for exploratory talks with the Greens and the SPD.
Berlin
SPD Vice Kiziltepe for coalition negotiations with the Left and the Greens
The Berlin SPD deputy leader Cansel Kiziltepe has spoken out in favor of coalition negotiations between her party and the election winners Left and the Greens. “The people of Berlin decided on left-wing politics on election day,” Kiziltepe told the German Press Agency.
“Even if the SPD was clearly voted out, our overlaps with the Left and the Greens are obvious,” said the politician, the Senator for Labor and Social Affairs in the current black-red Senate. “It is our democratic mandate to enter into coalition negotiations with these majorities.”
Kiziltepe is the first leading SPD politician in Berlin to take a clear position on this issue. She belongs to the left wing of the party and has many similarities with the left's top candidate Elif Eralp. In addition to red-green-red, a coalition between the CDU, the Greens and the SPD would also be mathematically possible.
“Our city needs a stable government that stands for political change,” said Kiziltepe. “Neither a minority government nor the new edition of a CDU-led Senate are a serious option after these election results.” But she also emphasized: "The Left must now provide clear answers as to how they will consistently deal with anti-Semitic incidents in their party. I expect zero tolerance here."
Berlin
Left decides on explorations at party conference
The Berlin Left wants to take a step forward on its path to forming a government after the election. At a party conference this Friday (from 5 p.m.) there will be a vote on whether the Left will invite the Greens and the SPD to exploratory talks. The party leadership supports this and recently expressed certainty that the majority of delegates would follow the proposal. However, there are also opponents of government participation on the left.
If the party congress votes positively, the explorations could begin next week. Such talks would not yet be coalition negotiations. Rather, those involved decide which points are particularly important to them and whether coalition negotiations would even be promising.
Since election Sunday, there has been heated discussion across the country about anti-Semitism in the Left Party and contacts in the clan milieu. The debate could slow down the formation of a government. Because it triggered great skepticism among the potential coalition partners, the Greens and the SPD. Both parties only want to start possible explorations when the left makes it unmistakably clear that it stands against anti-Semitism and for the protection of Jewish life. Top candidate Elif Eralp and the federal leadership have recently emphasized this again and again.
In addition to the Left, the Greens and the SPD, the CDU, the Greens and the SPD could also form a coalition. At the moment this variant is considered unlikely. But it could come into play if negotiations led by the left fail.
Carim Soliman
Berlin
Krach and Çağlar are supposed to lead the SPD faction
Steffen Krach and Derya Çağlar will lead the Berlin SPD parliamentary group in the future. The parliamentary group nominated the SPD state chairman and the previous deputy parliamentary group leader at their meeting in the state parliament, as the dpa learned from party circles.
Both are to be elected at the next parliamentary group meeting on Wednesday. The previous parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would not be running again after the party's poor performance in the Berlin election.
Anna Schimpp
Berlin
150 Jewish Berliners defend leftists
A group of Berlin Jews is defending the left against accusations of anti-Semitism. An open letter from 150 signatories, including the well-known authors Deborah Feldman and Eva Menasse, says:
“The fact that the left in particular are constantly accused of anti-Semitism is not only a cynical political instrumentalization, but also equates almost every criticism of Israeli politics with anti-Semitism.”
Open letter from 150 Jewish Berliners
It continues: "This flood of accusations aims to suppress dissent and undermine international law. Against the backdrop of rising anti-Semitism everywhere, singling out a democratic left-wing party is not simply a neutral observation, but a political tool to distract and redirect attention."
Rising rents, precarious employment, overloading of schools and the health system and growing social divisions are creating “the very social tensions that also promote hatred of Jews,” the letter continues. A red-red-green coalition would have the power to “address the material causes of social tensions,” write the authors of the letter.
The Left won the election to the House of Representatives on Sunday with top candidate Elif Eralp, and Eralp would like to take over the office of governing mayor. The Central Council of Jews in Germany had warned the Greens and the SPD against helping the party into government, saying this would endanger Jewish life in the capital. The Central Council criticizes that anti-Semitism is trivialized in parts of the left.
Saxony-Anhalt
CDU rejects SPD invitation
The Saxony-Anhalt CDU has rejected an invitation from the SPD to talk about forming a government after the state elections. “The CDU Saxony-Anhalt will not take part in this conversation,” said a CDU spokeswoman. The state executive board has decided to go into opposition. “The state association is sticking to this decision.” This makes it unlikely that a government will be formed apart from the AfD. In order to bring a government into office without the AfD, all other parties would have to come to an agreement.
The Social Democrats wanted to discuss this next Tuesday with the CDU, Greens, Left and BSW. It is our responsibility to “seriously explore the existing options for forming a stable and effective government,” said a letter from the SPD state leaders Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt to the other four parties.
So far, only the AfD and BSW have held joint discussions on the future of the country. They are currently exploring the extent to which collaboration on content is possible. However, the BSW rejects a coalition with the AfD. The discussions are about content that an AfD-led minority government would have to implement.
In the past, the BSW had generally spoken out in favor of a non-partisan Prime Minister and had shown itself open to changing majorities. The SPD also wanted to “discuss the proposed proposal to elect a non-partisan prime minister” in the conversation. It was previously unclear whether the event would take place in Magdeburg without the CDU.
Saxony-Anhalt
BSW: No deal with AfD for state parliament presidency
The federal co-chair of the BSW, Amira Mohamed Ali, rejects reports of a post pact with the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt for the presidium of the state parliament. “There is no such deal,” says Mohamed Ali on the ARD talk show “Maischberger”.
The BSW will not vote for the AfD candidate out of principle and will also “not put forward a candidate for the office of state parliament vice-president,” emphasized Mohamed Ali. The nomination of the deputy presidents of the state parliament would be requested by “the stronger factions accordingly. And we have no deal with the AfD on this,” said the BSW politician.
Mohamed Ali confirmed in the ARD program that the BSW would not vote for the AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund in a possible election for prime minister, but would abstain.
Amira Mohamed Ali, party leader of the BSW. Michael Bahlo/dpa
Barbara Klimke
Saxony-Anhalt
SPD invites four parties to talks in Saxony-Anhalt
The SPD state leadership in Saxony-Anhalt wants to have a surprise exchange with representatives from the CDU, the Greens, the Left and the BSW about the formation of a government after the state elections. It is our responsibility to “seriously explore the existing possibilities for the formation of a stable and effective government,” says the letter from the SPD state leaders Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt to the vi
