The leaders of the Left, the Greens and the SPD have successfully completed their explorations into forming a government.
Berlin. The exploratory talks in Berlin were arduous; there were irritations and setbacks. The pressure from outside is enormous, and it is not just Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) who is warning about a left-wing mayor in the capital. But four weeks after the Berlin election, the Left as the election winner, the Greens and the SPD are clearly heading towards a coalition.
In the exploratory paper that the parties presented at the end of the preliminary discussions, they outline how they intend to restructure the city. They want nothing less than to make history.
Because rents in Berlin are constantly rising and there is a lack of affordable housing, the Red-Green-Red not only wants to build 100,000 apartments, but also want to socialize around 160,000 of them from five companies - i.e. expropriate them for compensation. There has never been anything like this in Germany, but it has nothing to do with socialism.
Article 15 of the Basic Law should serve as the basis for the project. It says: “Land, natural resources and means of production can be transferred into common property or into other forms of public economy for the purpose of socialization through a law that regulates the type and extent of compensation.”
“The goal is that rents don’t rise any further,” said Left party leader Elif Eralp, who wants to become the Left’s first governing mayor in Berlin. There are 400,000 municipal apartments in the city. If an additional 160,000 came into public hands, Berlin would have access to around 30 percent of the rental housing market, i.e. significantly more influence than today.
But it won't happen that quickly. The three parties want to present a law in mid-2028 that will only come into force one year after the decision is passed. In the meantime, it will probably be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, and lawsuits from the housing industry are expected. The compensation amount should be limited to 16 billion euros, financed with loans and refinanced through rents. While Eralp speaks of a “very realistic amount”, the market value is likely to be higher.
The Left, like the Greens, had promised to implement the successful 2021 referendum on socialization. She can count the project as a success. SPD leader Steffen Krach, who rejected expropriations during the election campaign, speaks of a justifiable compromise. The Left originally wanted to target stocks of 3,000 or more apartments, but now socialization should only apply to companies with at least 10,000 apartments - they should be allowed to keep 10,000 of them.
The left also prevailed in the explorations on other points. The plan is to set up “neighborhood canteens” with hot meals for three euros, and the public transport social ticket should become cheaper. According to the exploratory paper, the three parties no longer want to see the Bundeswehr in schools. It also contains the idea of examining the right to vote at the local and state level for all people after five years of residence in Germany.
The SPD and the Greens can count it as a success that no police staff will be cut and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution will not be abolished. This was also in the Left election program.
This Monday, at a small party conference, the Greens and the SPD in the state executive board will decide on whether to start coalition negotiations based on the exploratory paper. The Left has only scheduled a party conference for October 31st. If approved, which is currently expected, coalition talks could start at the beginning of November.
However, it is doubtful that the process of forming a government will now run smoothly. On the one hand, federal politicians like Merz (“Stop it!”) or CSU leader Markus Söder (“Fall”) are drumming up against the red-green-red. In doing so, they are putting pressure on the SPD as a coalition partner in the federal government and the Greens. At the same time, they want to quickly implement a ban on socialization.
There is also a threat of controversy on the Berlin Left. Because the leadership of her parliamentary group must clarify how it will deal with Neukölln MP Vanessa Emde, who has repeatedly attracted attention for controversial statements critical of Israel - and recently stated that she has nothing to take back. The group leadership no longer sees any basis for cooperation.
A conversation with Emde is planned for Tuesday. It is possible that she will be excluded from the parliamentary group, which could lead to controversial discussions within the party. Solidarity with the Palestinians, combined with violent accusations against Israel, was an essential element of the successful Left election campaign in some parts of Berlin.
In general, the sensitive topic of anti-Semitism dominated the preliminary discussions and explorations with potential partners. The three parties concluded a separate agreement on how they would deal with anti-Semitic incidents in the ranks of the left in the event of a coalition.
They are 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 planned for violations. The agreement is part of the exploratory paper and should be included in the coalition agreement.
