Red-Red-Green Coalition Talks to Resume Thursday After Collapse Over Expelled MP

Berlin's attempt to form a red-red-green state government hit a crisis this week when the SPD and the Greens interrupted exploratory talks (Sondierungen) with the Linke on 13 October. The trigger was a dispute over MP Vanessa Emde, whom SPD and Greens had wanted excluded from the Linke's negotiating team; the Linke insisted on including her anyway. Linke state chair Elif Eralp came under heavy internal pressure as a result. On 14/15 October the three parties agreed that talks would be resumed on Thursday. Commentators called the pause a strategic failure for all three left-of-centre parties, criticising shoddy political craftsmanship and missing leadership ahead of the formation of a new Berlin senate following the 2026 state election. The outcome of these negotiations will determine whether Berlin gets its first red-red-green coalition in years or whether governing-mayor Kai Wegner's CDU keeps the initiative.