Berlin election | Reinickendorf and Marzahn: Cracks in the firewall against the AfD

Will there soon be an AfD representative in the district office? The Reinickendorf town hall Photo: Wikipedia/A.Savin The Left Party clearly won the House of Representatives election on September 20th with 25.7 percent. But another party also made gains: the AfD became the third strongest party in Berlin with 16.3 percent. In the future, the right-wing party could help steer local fortunes in several districts. The reason for this is a peculiarity of Berlin administrative law: the seats in the district offices - the executive administrative management in the districts - are allocated on a proportional basis. Depending on its election results, each party has the right to propose a certain number of the six seats in the district office.

However, these must be confirmed by the district assembly, the district parliament. In the past, AfD candidates often failed. Their business areas were then taken over by other district councilors. After the election in September, this could become difficult in some places. In Lichtenberg, for example, the AfD has the right to have two district councilors. If they are not elected, the district mayor and the remaining three city councilors must co-lead their areas. The AfD could claim 13 positions in district offices across the city.

An AfD representative could be appointed in Reinickendorf as early as this Thursday. The District Council Assembly (BVV) is constituted there. In the BVV election on September 20th, the AfD came second with 18.5 percent of the vote, behind the CDU (27.4 percent) and ahead of the Left (14.9 percent). In accordance with the principle of proportional representation, the AfD, the Left, the SPD and the Greens are each entitled to one seat in the district office. The CDU can appoint a district councilor and the district mayor, or two district councilors if the district mayor comes from another party.

Thomas Ruschin, the AfD candidate for the district office, can expect to make it into the administrative body in his first attempt. Because the local CDU has already announced that it will vote for him. Bundestag member and CDU district chairman Marvin Schulz told the “Tagespiegel” that the CDU would vote for all candidates who were entitled to a position in the district office. In addition to Ruschin, Felix Lederle, the left-wing candidate, is also likely to benefit from the CDU's indifference.

The fact that the CDU is open to electing the AfD candidate is part of a larger political reorientation that the party has formulated in its “Reinickendorf Compass”. This means that the party may also want to approve AfD applications in the BVV in the future. “The CDU does not automatically vote against a motion just because it comes from a certain party,” it says in this resolution. So far, the CDU parliamentary group has fundamentally rejected AfD applications in the BVV.

At the same time, the party declares that it does not want to reconcile “any common political planning, no common strategy, no political agreements and no agreements to form a permanent majority” with “political extremes”. District chairman Schulz explains to the “Tagesspiegel” what this means in concrete terms: In the coming legislature, he wants to forego a fixed counting community in the BVV and let the CDU district mayor candidate Sebastian Pieper govern with changing majorities. “I would question whether counting communities and the resulting policies are perceived by Berliners as incredibly efficient,” says Schulz.

The fact that people still seem to be ready for at least tacit agreements shows how Pieper is supposed to get into office: Together, the CDU and AfD have 27 of the 55 seats in the BVV. At least one district councilor would have to abstain from the election or vote for Pieper for the election to be successful. That could be David Jahn from the FDP. He is said to have been offered the opportunity to become head of the BVV - the AfD's approval of Pieper is apparently assumed. It is still unclear whether the FDP man will actually be able to get the majority. The BSW, which has two seats in the BVV, could also become a decisive factor.

"The CDU has lost its compass," says a spokesman for the Reinickendorf alliance against the right. The party must strive for a democratic majority with the Left, the Greens and the SPD instead of forging alliances with the AfD. The CDU is deceiving itself with its decision. "No cooperation means that you don't vote for the candidates and you don't agree to any motions or decide on motions that only get a majority with the approval of the AfD," said the spokesman. The CDU's planned approach crosses red lines.

“It can be said with certainty that the Reinickendorf AfD is particularly right-wing compared to other local associations,” says the alliance representative. Its chairman Rolf Wiedenhaupt is a representative of the right-wing national “wing” in the AfD. “This has a nationwide dimension,” says the alliance spokesman. The “field test” in Reinickendorf could also serve as a blueprint for how the Christian Democrats deal with the AfD in other municipalities.

The influence an AfD district councilor would have depends on which business area he is assigned to. Gökhan Akgün, state chairman of the Education and Science Union, explained to "nd" in August that an AfD education councilor could influence the social composition of schools by, for example, the layout of school catchment areas. He warned of “white schools” and called on teachers to refuse instructions from any AfD district councilors.

"You can say with certainty that the Reinickendorf AfD is particularly right-wing compared to other local associations."

However, the power of individual district councilors is decidedly limited: the district office is a collegial body. The members of the district office do not decide on their own area of ​​responsibility, but fundamental decisions are made through the members' vote. If there is a tie between the six representatives, the district mayor's vote is decisive. District councilors must also implement resolutions that they themselves voted against.

The situation in Marzahn-Hellersdorf is more difficult. The AfD was the strongest force in the satellite town with 33.8 percent, ahead of the Left (20.3 percent) and the CDU (18.2 percent). She is entitled to three of the six seats in the district office. As the strongest party, it also has the right to nominate the district mayor. Alternatively, a counting community can be formed that is collectively stronger than the AfD and propose a district mayor.

However, the Left, the Greens and the SPD are missing a vote for this. Even with the support of the representative of the animal protection party in the BVV, we would only get a tie with the AfD. What will be crucial is how the CDU and BSW behave. Participants describe the discussions so far as “stuck”. How the CDU will behave is still unclear.

While the district office is scheduled to be elected in Reinickendorf on Thursday, the tearing down of the firewall on the eastern edge of the city is less advanced. The BVV will also be constituted there on Thursday. According to reports, not even a BVV leader will be elected because the parties cannot come to an agreement. A ballot for a new district office is not expected before December.

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