A new phase has begun in the government formation process in Berlin. Following the Greens, the SPD also decided to start preliminary talks with the Left Party and the Greens. With the opening of exploratory talks between the three parties, in line with the Left Party's prime ministerial candidate Elif Eralp's goal of forming a government in the capital, the process for a potential triple alliance has officially begun.

Following the State Parliament elections held in Berlin, the capital of Germany, on September 20, efforts to form a government gained momentum. The Left Party, which finished first in the election with 25.7% of the votes, took the first step to meet with the Greens and the SPD with the aim of forming a government. After the Greens approached the talks positively, the SPD leadership also decided to participate in the process.

The SPD Berlin State Executive Board, at its meeting on September 26, unanimously approved holding Sondierungsgespräche with the Left Party and the Greens, meaning preliminary talks to assess the conditions for a potential government partnership. The negotiating delegation is expected to include SPD State Chair and prime ministerial candidate Steffen Krach, as well as Bettina König and Derya Caglar.

Berlin SPD Also Decides to Meet with Left Party and Greens

An important step for Elif Eralp

The Left Party, which became the strongest party in Berlin after the election, is nominating Turkish-origin politician Elif Eralp as Regierender Bürgermeisterin, meaning for the position of Governing Mayor of Berlin.

The Left Party, led by Eralp, had decided by a large majority at its party congress on September 25 to begin exploratory talks with the SPD and the Greens. Thus, with all three parties giving the green light to the negotiation process, the way has been paved for talks for a potential SPD-Left Party-Greens government. However, it is stated that the parties have not yet reached a coalition agreement and the government partnership is not finalized.

SPD's prime ministerial candidate Steffen Krach also announced that they accepted the Left Party's invitation, while pointing out some significant political and substantive obstacles regarding potential cooperation. Krach signaled that the process would not be easy.

Berlin SPD Also Decides to Meet with Left Party and Greens


Criticism of the Left Party also on the agenda

While a potential Left Party-SPD-Greens cooperation is being discussed in Berlin, debates also continue regarding antisemitism and links to organized crime due to some members of the Left Party and certain developments within its Berlin organization.

Greens Federal Co-Chair Franziska Brantner argued that the Left Party should not take on security-critical ministries such as Interior or Justice in a potential government. Discussions are particularly focused on the contacts of Left Party MP Ferat Koçak with certain individuals. The Left Party leadership, however, denies the accusations of antisemitism.

CDU/CSU Federal Parliamentary Group Leader Thorsten Frei also called on the SPD and the Greens not to form a government partnership with the Left Party. Frei argued that there are serious allegations within the Berlin Left Party regarding antisemitism and connections to organized crime circles. These assessments were reflected in the public as Frei's political statements.

BSW sends message of limited cooperation with AfD

In addition to the government search in Berlin, the post-election situation in Saxony-Anhalt continues to be debated in German politics.

In the Saxony-Anhalt State Parliament elections held on September 6, the AfD received the most votes with 43.8%. The BSW entered parliament with 5.3%. Following these results, the BSW stated that it was open to discussions with the AfD on some political issues, while the party leadership rejected a coalition partnership. BSW Co-Chair Amira Mohamed Ali also stated that cooperation with the AfD might be possible on some issues, but the two parties' political views do not align on many matters.

Eyes now on exploratory talks in Berlin

The decision by the SPD, Left Party, and Greens to sit down for talks in Berlin constitutes an important stage in the post-election government formation process. However, it is not yet clear whether actual coalition negotiations will commence after the preliminary talks, and whether the parties can form a common program, especially on issues such as housing policy, security, combating antisemitism, and the budget.