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Meeting of the top candidates: Kai Wegner (CDU) and Franziska Giffey (SPD)
Photo: Fabrizio Bensch / REUTERS
Berlin repeated its 2021 election - and punished the red-green-red government.
According to projections, the CDU with top candidate Kai Wegner will gain significantly (27.8 percent) and will be by far the strongest party.
The SPD of the Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey got their historically worst result in the capital with 18.7 percent of the votes - in the projections even behind the Greens (18.8 percent).
The results also caused unrest in the federal government.
Some see the results as a penalty for the traffic light, others hope for numbers games.
The reactions at a glance:
The CDU is very happy.
Party leader
Friedrich Merz
sees a clear government mandate for his party in Berlin.
"The result is clear: the CDU won the #Berlinwahl2023," tweeted Merz.
The "clear government mandate" for the CDU is the first step towards the goal "that the federal capital works better".
CDU General Secretary
Mario Czaja
also sees a "clear government mandate" for the Christian Democratic top candidate Kai Wegner.
"Berlin won, Berlin can celebrate," says Czaja on ARD.
"The current government has been voted out." Every decency forbids the government that is still in office to continue.
Wegner
himself spoke of a phenomenal election result: "Berlin has chosen change." There is a clear government mandate for his party.
The task now is to form a stable government.
There will be talks about this in the next few days.
He does not have a preference for governing with the SPD or the Greens.
“We fought a lot during the election campaign, but the election campaign is over now.
Now it's about responsibility," said Wegner.
The Social Democrats, on the other hand, are hoping for a continuation of government work, preferably in the red-green-red coalition, despite the election defeat.
"Yes, of course it hurts," says SPD Secretary General
Kevin Kühnert
on ZDF.
It was not the desired election result.
All parties would now have to see how majorities could be formed.
»Best with the Greens in front«
Top candidate
Giffey
also acknowledged the defeat.
"Before we ask what's up with me, I'd like to know what's up with the SPD," Giffey told ARD.
It is too early to draw conclusions because it is not yet clear whether the SPD or the Greens will come second behind the CDU.
"There have been better nights," she said.
She also adds the defeat to the riots on New Year's Eve: "New Year's Eve was just a big hit in the office, you have to say that very clearly," Giffey told the dpa news agency.
Berlin's transport policy was also punished.
In the election, the entire coalition was made responsible for all critical things.
However, it was too early to give up, Giffey said on ZDF.
It is still unclear what stable majorities in the House of Representatives could look like.
Giffey said she hoped her red-green-red government would survive despite the defeat.
But you need second place for that.
The Greens are also looking to continue like this – but are keeping talks with the CDU open: “We have a preference for the previous coalition to continue – preferably with the Greens at the front,” said party leader
Omid Nouripour
on ARD.
"But of course the Greens in Berlin will talk to all democratic parties." Co-boss
Ricarda Lang
also insisted on a quick agreement on ZDF.
What is decisive for the Greens is what can be implemented in terms of content.
"The current governing coalition has a clear and stable majority," said the Green top candidate
Bettina Jarasch
on ARD, referring to the preliminary figures.
She would prefer to continue the previous cooperation, “under the leadership of the Greens”.
There is relief on the left.
The party had recently suffered defeat after defeat in state elections.
Now the loss of votes in Berlin was small, the result is in double digits.
Party leader
Janine Wissler
expressed "respect" for what the state association had put together during the election campaign.
"That's a really good result for the left in a really difficult time," said Wissler.
Your co-chairman
Martin Schirdewan
was happy about the solid result in the »crazy« election campaign winter.
"The Left is back," said Left Party leader
Dietmar Bartsch
.
He assumes that the centre-left project will continue in the capital.
»It will probably be a long night«
The FDP reacted more cautiously.
Lead candidate
Sebastian Czaja
congratulated the winner of the election, the CDU, and urged that he now form the government.
On the performance of his party, Czaja said on ARD: "We'll just wait and see how the evening develops." The FDP is under five percent in projections and could miss entering parliament.
FDP party leader
Christian Lindner
has not yet given up hope that the Liberals will enter the House of Representatives.
"It will probably be a long night - we keep our fingers crossed," tweeted the Federal Minister of Finance.
In addition to the CDU, the AfD was the only party with a gain - one percentage point compared to the 2021 election. AfD party leader
Tino Chrupalla
sees his party as the winner alongside the CDU.
It is clear that the city "has turned against red-red-green".
In the losses of the SPD and FDP, he also sees a defeat for the traffic light: "This war policy was punished here."
mrc/dpa