The Left topped the Berlin state election with 25.7% of the vote, achieving its best result ever and finishing well ahead of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, led by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to results announced by the state’s election authority early on Monday.
Results for Berlin’s competing parties
The Christian Democratic Union won 18.8% of the vote, down from its result in the state election three years ago, which allowed it to lead the local government in coalition with the Social Democratic Party. The Alternative for Germany, classified as far right, came third with 16.3%, while the Greens came fourth with 14.3%.
The Social Democratic Party fell to fifth place with 12.1%, its lowest result in the history of elections in the German capital. The results pave the way for a three-party coalition comprising The Left, the Greens and the Social Democratic Party. If the coalition is formed, The Left’s candidate, Elif Eralp, could become Berlin’s mayor, making her the first figure from the party to hold the post.
The Berlin state parliament has 159 seats, while any coalition seeking to form the local government needs the support of at least 80 lawmakers. The preliminary results indicate that the three parties that could form a coalition have enough seats between them to surpass that threshold.
Difficult election results for Merz’s party
The Berlin vote coincided with another difficult election result for Chancellor Merz’s party. The Alternative for Germany narrowly topped Sunday’s election in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in north-eastern Germany, ahead of the Social Democratic Party, according to preliminary estimates from the counting process conducted by Germany’s first and second television channels.
The Christian Democratic Union recorded its worst result in any local election in Germany since the founding of the German Republic in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a result that could keep it out of the state parliament for the first time in its history. Chancellor Friedrich Merz described his party’s result in the election as a “disaster” for the party, adding: “The reforms are continuing, and I bear full responsibility because I want to move our country forward.”
Calls to block a Left-led coalition in Berlin
Joseph Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, expressed concern over The Left topping the Berlin election. He accused the party of supporting demonstrations against Israel and claimed he had witnessed calls for an intifada and the deaths of Israeli soldiers at one event, accompanied by celebrations.
Schuster called on the Greens and the Social Democratic Party not to enter a coalition with The Left to form Berlin’s local government.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, around 1.3 million people aged over 16 are eligible to vote. The state is currently governed by a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and The Left, headed by Minister-President Manuela Schwesig.
