The Social Democrats slumped to a resounding loss at the hands of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin
Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union party celebrate election results in Berlin, February 12, 2023. © Fabian Sommer / dpa / AP
Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) has lost the election for Berlin’s city parliament for the first time in nearly 25 years. The defeat comes as the nation endures record-high inflation coupled with an energy crisis.
The repeat election in Berlin was called after Germany’s top court ruled last year that the September 2021 vote was invalid due to a number of irregularities.
According to preliminary results shared by broadcasters ARD and ZDF, the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received 28.2% of the vote on Sunday – a nearly 10-point increase from 2021.
The SPD, which counts German Chancellor Olaf Scholz among its members, came second with 18.4%, just 105 votes ahead of the Greens, who also received 18.4%. The Left Party (Die Linke) earned 12.2%, while the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in fifth with 9.1%.
The results mean that Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) loses her seat in parliament to the CDU’s Olaf Schenk. The SPD has continuously held the mayoral post since 2001.
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The CDU’s leader in Berlin, Kai Wegner, told reporters that the party was now focused on forming “a stable government.”
“We want to lead a successful coalition in Berlin,” Wegner said. “It’s phenomenal, and I can only say this: Berlin chose change.”
Giffey, meanwhile, signaled that the SPD could enter into negotiations with the Greens. “In the end, it is about who can organize a stable majority in the [Berlin] House of Deputies,” she said.
At the federal level, the SPD governs as part of a coalition with the Greens and liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP).
