Resistance from Within: Who in the SPD and Greens Won't Back Rot-Grün-Rot

As Berlin's SPD and Greens formally approved coalition negotiations on 19 October 2026, a Berliner Zeitung investigation mapped the fault lines of internal resistance. Within the SPD, former Governing Mayors Michael Müller, Walter Momper and district politician Martin Hikel warned against joining the coalition. Incumbent Economics Senator Franziska Giffey opposes the housing expropriation plan, saying the compensation offered is too low. Twenty SPD federal MPs signed a joint statement calling the coalition incompatible with Social Democratic values, citing antisemitism controversies within Die Linke and the expropriation plans. Several SPD district associations are demanding a member referendum before any final agreement is signed. Within the Greens, national figures including Baden-Württemberg's Cem Özdemir have publicly criticised Die Linke's handling of the antisemitism issue. The Jewish organisation WerteInitiative accused both the SPD and Greens of moving their red lines rather than insisting Die Linke respect them. The coalition's planned expropriation of properties from companies including Vonovia, Heimstaden and Covivio — covering around 160,000 apartments — faces legal challenges from the federal government, with constitutional experts divided on whether a blanket prohibition would survive judicial review.