Berlin Coalition Talks: SPD and Greens Vote Yes to Red-Green-Red

Four weeks after Berlin's state election, in which Die Linke emerged as the strongest party with 25.7 per cent of the vote, the SPD (26 to 3) and the Greens (only two dissenting votes) voted on 21 October 2026 to begin formal coalition negotiations with Die Linke toward a Red-Green-Red senate. If finalised, the three-party coalition would install a Left Party politician as Governing Mayor of Berlin for the first time in the city's history. CDU party chief Stefan Evers expressed regret that neither the SPD nor the Greens had been willing to explore an alternative government. AfD faction leader Kristin Brinker predicted the coalition would proceed. The decisive hurdle is Die Linke's own party congress on 31 October, which must ratify the move. Key sticking points in the exploratory paper include the socialisation of large private housing portfolios, additional public spending, and how the SPD and Greens expect Die Linke to handle a controversy over alleged antisemitism within its Berlin faction.