Majority in favor of expropriation of residential groups is emerging

Enlarge image

The initiative to expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co has been taking many people to the streets in Berlin for months

Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP

In Berlin, the referendum shows approval for the association of large real estate groups in the capital. After three quarters of half of the electoral districts had been counted, almost 57 percent were in favor of the initiative launched by the “Deutsche Wohnen & Co expropriate” group, according to the figures published on Sunday's website of the regional return officer. 38.3 percent therefore voted "No".

The initiative had collected 359,063 signatures for the referendum - significantly more than the necessary 171,000.

She advocates the expropriation of housing groups with more than 3,000 apartments in Berlin, but cooperatives should not be affected.

According to the proposal of the initiative, more than 240,000 apartments are to be transferred into the possession of an institution under public law.

Before the election, the Senate pointed out that there were constitutional concerns about the property guarantee against the public initiative aimed at socializing apartments.

In addition, the referendum would be “formally non-binding for the Senate if it is successful”.

In the election campaign for the new Senate, only the left of the major parties had clearly backed the initiative.

In hardly any other city have rents risen so sharply for years. On average over all years of construction and locations, they are now 10.49 euros per square meter - without additional costs. The mood is heated, only a few days ago thousands demonstrated against the so-called "rent madness". The red-red-green coalition in Berlin had already tried to curb price increases on the overheated housing market with a rent cap. But this was cashed by the Federal Constitutional Court.

Whatever the vote, the new Berlin Senate does not have to follow it.

The then red-red-green state government also disregarded the referendum on the continued operation of Tegel Airport, which found a majority in 2017.

The leading SPD candidate in the polls, Franziska Giffey, has already shown that she does not believe in socialization.

svs / Reuters