In the elections in the German capital Berlin, the conservative CDU emerged as the strongest force for the first time in more than two decades. According to forecasts by ARD and ZDF on Sunday evening, the Christian Democrats with their party leader Kai Wegner are far ahead of the SPD and the Greens, who are in an exciting race for second place. Behind it is the left, which has been governing the capital together with the Social Democrats and the Greens since 2016.
The right-wing populist AfD is certainly represented in the House of Representatives again, but the FDP should worry about withdrawing, according to the forecasts. Due to serious election disruptions, the state constitutional court had voided the September 2021 state parliament election and the district election — and ordered a repeat. At the time, long queues at polling stations and missing, switched or copied ballot papers made headlines all over Germany.
CDU won significantly
According to the forecasts, the CDU will win big in the re-elections and reach 27.5 to 28 percent (2021: 18.0 percent). Mayor Franziska Giffey’s SPD is at 18 to 18.5 percent (21.4), heading for an all-time low. The Greens come out at 18 to 18.5 percent (18.9). The left dropped slightly to 12.5 to 13 percent (14.1). The AfD, on the other hand, received 9 percent of the vote (8.0). According to the forecasts, the FDP is losing something and with 4.5 to 5 percent, it has to fear the five percent limit (7.1).
About 2.4 million people had the right to vote in the House of Representatives. According to forecasts, turnout was between 63.5 and 65 percent. In 2021 that was 75.4 percent, but the German Bundestag was also elected that year.
The SPD wants to continue the three-party coalition even in the event of a defeat
According to democratic practice, the task of forming a government lies with the CDU, as the strongest force in the House of Representatives. But it’s unclear if she can forge a government alliance. The SPD and the Greens had indicated that they wanted to continue their coalition with the left, even with a CDU victory, for which a majority would be sufficient.
A new edition of this coalition would be a challenge for CDU chief Wegner, who has now led the CDU forward again. The 50-year-old was born in Berlin, is married with three children and lives in the Spandau district. Outside the city, the Hertha BSC fan is little known.
Very different Giffey, who tried to score points with her office bonus during the election campaign. The 44-year-old SPD state leader, who grew up east of Berlin, was mayor in the district of Neukölln and rose to become Germany’s family minister in 2018. Giffey resigned from the cabinet in May 2021 over a plagiarism scandal surrounding her dissertation.
Will Green replace Senator Giffey?
Should the Greens become the second strongest power, 54-year-old environmental senator Bettina Jarasch has the option of becoming the first Greens head of government in Berlin and replacing Giffey. Born in Augsburg, she faces a traffic reversal away from combustion cars and an ambitious fight against global warming – which narrows the political intersection with the FDP and CDU.
The federal CDU claimed the office of mayor of Berlin on election night. “Berlin has opted for a fresh start,” Secretary-General Mario Czaja told ZDF. The Berlin CDU top candidate Kai Wegner has “a clear government mandate”.
Boost for the federal CDU
The success of the Berlin CDU should give the federal party and its chairman Friedrich Merz a boost, because this year there are three state elections in Bremen, Hesse and Bavaria. The result is a setback for the SPD in the federal government, as Giffey could lose her position as head of government in Berlin. After a series of sensitive electoral defeats, the federal FDP must prepare for the possibility of being expelled from a state parliament again.
Lack of housing as a point of discussion
In addition to rent and transport policies, the main topic of the short election campaign was a sharp debate over New Year’s Eve, when rioters attacked police and rescue workers. Violent youth, perpetrators with a migration background and integration problems were also the subject of fierce debate throughout Germany. Particularly the state CDU, which asked for the first names of suspects with German nationality, polarized strongly.
In the tenant city of Berlin, the lack of affordable housing also fueled the dispute between the parties. It is also about a referendum in which in 2021 almost 60 percent voted for the expropriation of large housing groups. Giffey recently opposed it and thereby joins the CDU. The FDP and AfD also reject expropriations. The left, on the other hand, advocates a quick implementation of the referendum, while the Greens see expropriations only as a last resort to create affordable housing.
Breakdown elections revealed administrative deficits
The further construction of the A100 urban motorway, announced by the German Federation, was also controversial. The coalition of SPD, Greens and the Left rejects him. CDU, FDP and AfD support the extension of the route. After the failed 2021 elections, the grievances in the Berlin government also came into the picture. Berliners are faced with weeks of waiting for appointments with the Civil Registry Office – a problem that has been smoldering for years. Because there are no new elections, nothing will change in the legislature: it will end in 2026, five years after the 2021 elections.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
