Berlin Parties Signal They Will Block AfD Vice-President Nominee at New Parliament Opening

The new Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus, elected on 20 September 2026, will convene for its constitutive session on 29 October to elect a president and two vice-presidents. Under the parliament's rules of procedure (Geschäftsordnung), nomination rights for the two vice-presidential posts go to the second- and third-strongest factions — the CDU with 18.8 percent and the AfD with 16.3 percent. The CDU nominated former parliament president Cornelia Seibeld, who is widely expected to win majority support. The AfD, exercising this nomination right for the first time, put forward Martin Trefzer, but Die Linke, the CDU, the Greens, and the SPD have all signalled they will not back him. The Left party, which became the strongest faction in September with 25.7 percent of the vote, nominated Hendrikje Klein — a 46-year-old public administration graduate who has served in the parliament since 2016 — as candidate for president. AfD faction leader Kristin Brinker argued that the election result must be reflected in the make-up of the presidency and called on other parties to judge Trefzer on his qualifications rather than his party membership. The other factions each cited democratic integrity as the basis for their refusal. Before the Thursday session, all candidates are due to present themselves to the factions on Tuesday.