Taz commentary: Red-green-red in Berlin, breakthrough or crash?

A widely read taz commentary filed on the evening of 17 October and leading taz.de's Berlin section into 18 October 2026 asks whether red-green-red in Berlin will be a 'breakthrough or a crash'. Berlin editor Uwe Rada argues that rarely has the formation of a state government been watched so closely. The Left's Elif Eralp would become the first mayor of Berlin with a migration background. The coalition's promises on affordable housing, including a 2 percent rent cap in state-owned homes and the socialisation of about 160,000 flats, could shift the national debate on housing to the left. But Rada stresses the deep distrust inside the alliance, notably SPD leader Steffen Krach's reservations about the Left, internal fights in the Left over its election-night images and the need to combine antisemitism prevention with promises to Muslim and migrant voters. Party conferences must still approve the start of coalition talks in November.