Berlin election | Berlin: Final spurt, climax and conclusion of the election campaign

Green Party leader Werner Graf speaks at the Green Party's flat election campaign climax at Mauerpark. Photo: dpa/Britta Pedersen On Friday around 2:30 p.m. on the Berlin tram line M10: Students wish each other a nice weekend as they say goodbye. Many working people don't have a day off work yet. Accordingly, things are looking poor at Mauerpark for the Greens. The party has invited people to its “election campaign highlight”. The House of Representatives will be elected on Sunday. There are more journalists than party supporters and initially not many people overall, although a band is trying to create a atmosphere with rock music.

The state parliament member Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz (Greens), who was born in East Berlin, is a guest from Saxony-Anhalt. On their stockings it says: “Left Mouse.” With borrowed votes from the left, the Greens achieved a result of 8.9 percent in the state elections on September 6th in Saxony-Anhalt, a result that was no longer thought possible. Without this help, the party would probably have failed at the five percent hurdle - and the AfD would have an absolute majority in the state parliament. In order to prevent this, many supporters of the left voted for the Greens. But in Berlin, tactical voting is not necessary. The Eco Party's result of 16 percent predicted by opinion research institutes is rather mediocre by Berlin standards. In the House of Representatives election in February 2023 it was 2.4 percentage points more.

Why is that? "We haven't made any loud demands that we can't keep up afterwards," analyzes parliamentary group leader Werner Graf, who is giving one television interview after another at Mauerpark at 3 p.m. It didn't make any headlines, but it was honest, says Graf. If the forecasts are correct, it is unlikely that he will become mayor. But can he at least still fulfill his dream of sending the CDU into the opposition? Yes, he intends a new, progressive policy, confirms Graf. "But we're only ruling out a coalition with the AfD." Whether a Senate can be formed without the CDU - a red-green-red Senate - ultimately doesn't just depend on the Greens, recalls Graf. The left must also want to govern. “We hope so.” And the SPD must take part.

That's where the left wants in: top candidate Elif Eralp in front of the Red City Hall. Photo: dpa/Sebastian Gollnow The Left definitely wants to govern, its state chairwoman Kerstin Wolter assured the “nd” an hour later. It is not for nothing that the Socialists have invited people to their “final campaign spurt” in front of the Red City Hall, where their top candidate Elif Eralp is to move in as Governing Mayor. However, it depends on the content that can be agreed upon between the Greens and the SPD and on whether the SPD even wants such a coalition, says Kerstin Wolter.

While the Greens themselves only have a modest following in one of their strongholds at Mauerpark, several hundred people gather among the Left. The stage is positioned in such a way that the television cameras inevitably capture the Red City Hall as a background when they film top candidate Elif Eralp.

“I hope you actually cross the finish line first,” says Bundestag member Gregor Gysi to his comrades. The polls promise a victory or at least a neck-and-neck race with the CDU. The Christian Democrats are desperately trying to avoid defeat against their main political enemy. In order to keep the "extremists" and "Jew-haters" of the left out of power, the CDU even put up large spaces with its top candidate and finance senator Stefan Evers as well as election posters without him, on which the slogan was printed: "You probably have to vote for the CDU again."

Not only leftists, but also supporters of other parties have to laugh about it. The message is that the CDU is unintentionally admitting that it achieved little in the previous years of its rule and now has nothing to offer in terms of content. How pathetic to now advertise yourself to the population as preventing the left, according to the verdict. The CDU's attempts to denigrate the Berlin Left as anti-Semitic, given its considerable Palestinian solidarity wing, fit in with this strategy. If Elif Eralp could not keep this wing in check, then with her as Governing Mayor a climate would arise in the city in which Jews would no longer be safe in their lives, so the story goes.

At the end of the election campaign in front of the Red City Hall, only one listener is wearing a keffiyeh - and on the other hand there is also a comrade from the Shalom state working group who is wearing a kippah with a Star of David in white and blue, the colors of the Israeli flag. He doesn't wear this kippah for religious reasons, but quite consciously, he reveals to "nd". There are others who agree with him. But they don't show it so openly. “There is an anti-Semitism problem in my party and it is not small,” says this comrade. Sometimes and increasingly “the wrong position on the Middle East conflict” is taken and “the wrong criticism of capitalism” is presented, one with anti-Semitic stereotypes such as “parasites” and “pests”. The comrade holds up one of the signs that says “Elif Eralp.” He wants her to become mayor.

“Elif, Elif, Elif” is chanted as she takes the stage at 5:15 p.m. The Left's state chairman Maximilian Schirmer warmed up his listeners with big words and promises. “If we become the strongest force, then it will radiate across Berlin,” he said with certainty. »The whole of Europe is watching us. We want to make history!” The logic of squeezing out tenants should be broken.

The top candidate points to the Red City Hall. Eralp herself says that people have told her that they are “fed up” with the politics that are being done there. Eralp about real estate companies and speculators: "They went public with our apartments and are making a few people rich." The woman who can no longer pay for her groceries at the checkout in a grocery store because her rent was increased by 200 euros a month doesn't have to be ashamed, says Eralp. In their opinion, anyone who made a policy that led to this should be ashamed. Berlin will not allow Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) to prohibit what the population has long since decided in a referendum - that large private housing stocks in the capital should be expropriated.

Palestine flags are not waved in front of the Red City Hall, but several are waved just a few steps further on Alexanderplatz. There, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) is celebrating its “election campaign conclusion” and a young man is distributing party leaflets that demand not to supply Israel with weapons and to stop the genocide in Gaza. In contrast to the Left, which could emerge as the strongest force in the House of Representatives election, the BSW has to worry about overcoming the five percent hurdle. In terms of quantity, however, the BSW can compete with the Left. Several hundred people also gathered.

Sahra Wagenknecht was also in person at the world clock on Alexanderplatz. Photo: dpa/Jens Kalaene The fact that the state election in Saxony-Anhalt achieved 5.3 percent gave the Berlin BSW some momentum. But now there is unease because the BSW is engaging in talks with the AfD. AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund is already talking about forming a government for which he still needs support from other parties. A faction or individual MPs should help him gain power.

At the BSW election campaign rally at Berlin's Alexanderplatz, someone distributed leaflets against merging with the AfD and then can no longer be found. There is no mention of who is behind the leaflets. It could be a fake, but it sounds as if a group of BSW members are speaking out here who are dissatisfied with the party leadership's course and are calling for "determined opposition instead of hypocritical pandering to the AfD." »As BSW we stand for peace, reason, living democracy and justice. “None of this is compatible with the stupid policies of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt,” it says. The leaflet ends with the request: “Write to your representatives and district associations in the BSW to protest against enabling an AfD government.”

Top candidate Claudia Wittig has arrived from Saxony-Anhalt and promises: “We will not elect an AfD prime minister. You can rely on that.” Nevertheless, in addition to a lot of cheering, there are also whistles when Sahra Wagenknecht goes on stage. A man shouts again and again: “Traitor, traitor, traitor!” Wagenknecht counters: “We will not allow ourselves to be silenced.”

Among their listeners is Dieter Bonitz, state chairman of the party Die Basis, which emerged from the lateral thinker scene. Because he carries a flag of this party, he is recognized and spoken to. A BSW candidate thanks you for the support. Since Die Basis did not collect the required 2,200 signatures from supporters this time, it is not admitted to the House of Representatives election. The state executive board is now calling for the election of the BSW. There are said to have been a number of people leaving the party elsewhere, but only a few in Berlin, as Bonitz tells the candidate.

The »nd.Genossenschaft« belongs to its readers and authors. They are the ones who make our journalism accessible to everyone through their contribution: We are not backed by a media company, not a large advertising customer or even a billionaire.

With your support we can continue to:

→ report independently and critically → address overlooked topics → give space to marginalized voices → counter misinformation → advance left-wing debates

With “Pay voluntarily” you can take part. You help ensure that this newspaper has a future. So that nd remains.