Left Party Congress Clears Final Hurdle for Berlin's Red-Green-Red Coalition

On Saturday 1 November, the Berlin Left party held a special party conference to vote on entering coalition negotiations with the Greens and the SPD. Delegates voted with a clear majority in favour, capping a day marked by visible internal tension. Top candidate Elif Eralp, who arrived at the venue under personal protection, faced "Shame on You" chants from opponents gathered outside the hall. Inside, neither the party's youth wing nor the Mitte district association offered her applause. Eralp nonetheless made the case for the negotiations and pushed back against what she called a wave of attacks on herself and the Berlin Left, saying she would not be intimidated. Party chair Kerstin Wolter took a more forward-looking tone, pressing for speed and stating that "Berliners are waiting for a change in politics." The Greens and the SPD had each already voted to approve coalition talks in the days leading up to the Left's conference. With all three parties now in agreement, formal negotiations were set to begin on Monday.