SPD District Chief Says 12.1% Vote Share Gives Party No Coalition Mandate

In an interview published by Berliner Zeitung on 19 October 2026, Gilbert Collé, the SPD district chairman for Reinickendorf, sharply criticised his own party's decision to pursue coalition talks with Die Linke and the Greens. Collé argued that the SPD's result of 12.1% — the party's worst performance in a Berlin state election — confers no democratic mandate to join government. 'From 12.1 percent one really cannot derive a government mandate,' he said, calling instead for the SPD to support a Die Linke minority government from outside the coalition. He identified a structural democratic problem: the SPD has been continuously in government in Berlin for 36 years regardless of its electoral performance, insulating it from voter accountability. The Reinickendorf SPD district board voted against coalition participation. Collé said he would accept whatever the party ultimately decided but insisted a member ballot on the final coalition agreement should take place. He also warned against unfounded attacks on Die Linke, urging the debate to remain focused on principle. His position received significant reader attention as a notable dissenting voice within the SPD.