Parties Unite to Block AfD Vice-President Bid in New Berlin Parliament

The newly elected Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus holds its constituent session on 29 October 2026. For the first time, the AfD, which won 16.3 per cent on 20 September, is entitled to nominate one of the two vice-president posts and has put forward faction member Martin Trefzer. However, the Left Party (25.7%), CDU (18.8%), Greens (14.3%) and SPD (12.1%) all signalled they will refuse to elect him. The Greens stated the office requires high integrity, impeccability, impartiality and a pronounced commitment to democracy. The Left declared that forces hostile to democracy must not sit at the levers of power in parliament. The Left's Hendrikje Klein is nominated as parliament president, while the CDU puts forward current parliament president Cornelia Seibeld for a vice-president role. AfD faction leader Kristin Brinker argued that the 20 September election result must be reflected in the presidium's composition, and called on other factions to judge Trefzer on his qualifications rather than reject him solely on account of his party membership. The stand-off highlights the structural tension that arises when a party holds a nomination right under the house's standing orders yet other parties can still withhold the votes needed to elect its candidate.