District politics | West Berlin turns green-red-red

The council chamber in the Steglitz town hall Photo: imago/Engelhardt The Left Party has only been represented in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district council since 2016 - and is now most likely to assume government responsibility in the southwest of Berlin. The Greens, SPD and Left announced at the weekend that they would form a counting community in the district. The parties' committees have already agreed to start negotiations.

In the election in the traditional CDU stronghold, the Christian Democrats got 28.5 percent. They were followed by the Greens with 21.7 percent, the SPD with 14.8 percent, the Left with 12.6 percent, the AfD with 10.5 percent and the FDP with 4.1 percent. The Greens, SPD and Left together have 29 of the 55 seats in the district assembly.

In a joint press release, the three parties promise to create more affordable housing and to pursue rent extortion. The aim is to strengthen school safety and make public spaces “climate-fit” through unsealing, tree planting and greenery. “We are committed to an additional community school in the district,” it continues. The “Berlin Declaration,” with which the Left, the Greens and the SPD agreed on a common position against anti-Semitism, should also apply to cooperation in the district, it goes on to say.

That is quite remarkable. The district association of the Left in Steglitz-Zehlendorf submitted an application at the state party conference at the end of October that was directed against the paper. The three coalition partners equated criticism of Israeli government policy with anti-Semitism, the document says. The state party conference rejected the request with a large majority and reiterated its support for the “Berlin Declaration”. And the socialists in Steglitz-Zehlendorf also seem to have given up their resistance.

The agreement is likely to cause frustration in the CDU, which won the BVV election. Already in 2021 and 2023 she had to hand over the district mayor's office to the Green Maren Schellenberg after a counting community consisting of the Greens, SPD and FDP was formed. Previously, CDU district mayors had governed the wealthy southwest of Berlin since its founding in 2001, and since 2006 in a coalition with the Greens. If you count the previous districts of Steglitz and Zehlendorf, Christian Democrats ruled here for almost 50 years.

Personally and in terms of content, the Greens should continue to get along well with the local CDU representatives. In negotiations, however, the Greens are said to have demanded that the CDU give up the office of district mayor, even though they had clearly become the strongest force in the BVV election. The Christian Democrats were apparently not prepared for this.

However, the CDU will still be represented in the district office because the seats there are allocated on a proportional basis. The parties that are part of the counting community can decide which departments to allocate to the two CDU representatives who are entitled to a seat in the district office. Urban Aykal has the best chance of becoming district mayor. The incumbent transport district councilor was nominated as district leader by the Greens before the election in September. Dennis Egginger-Gonzales was nominated as district councilor for the Left Party. He is open about the fact that he would like to take over the urban development department.

When the district council assembly was constituted on October 29, no district councilors had yet been elected. The next meeting is scheduled for November 18th. The three parties don't have to hurry. The Berlin state constitution does not set a deadline for the election of the district office.

Another district deep in the west of Berlin will most likely be governed by a left-wing alliance in the future: In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, the Greens, the Left and the SPD are also negotiating a counting community. This is what the “Berliner Morgenpost” reports. Left-wing district council candidate Frederike-Sophie Gronde-Brunner spoke of “very trusting conversations” and “large overlaps”. She wants to take over the social affairs and citizen services departments.

In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, too, the CDU had become the strongest force with 24 percent, but now has to give up the office of district mayor. However, this is not a big change for the party: it was unable to nominate the district mayor in 2023, even though it had won the election. As part of a black-green counting community, she resigned in favor of the green incumbent Kirstin Bauch. Like her predecessor Reinhard Naumann (SPD), Bauch had previously governed with the support of a counting community made up of the Greens and the SPD. The Left Party has also been held indirectly responsible once: it tolerated red-green in the district assembly from 2016 to 2021.

In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, too, the fact that the Greens insisted on the office of district mayor was said to have been decisive for the failure of the black-green coalition. There are also differences in content, for example about the dismantling of the cycle path on Kantstrasse. In order to achieve a secure majority in the district council assembly, the Greens and the CDU would also have had to bring the district councilors from the Volt party on board.

With the green-red-red counting community behind her, district mayor Kirstin Bauch can prepare for another term in office. She has governed the district since 2021. According to reports, the parties are aiming for an election in December.

District mayor Jörn Oltmann (Greens) confirmed to »nd« in October that the existing green-red-red alliance would be continued in Tempelhof-Schöneberg. According to him, he wants to stand for election in the district council on November 18th. The transport district councilor Saskia Ellenbeck (Greens) will also be elected. Ellen Ehmke is to take over a position in the district office for the Left Party.

The socialists in Spandau, on the other hand, remain on the sidelines. The black-green counting community continues here under district mayor Frank Berwig (CDU). Because the parties together cannot achieve an absolute majority, Berwig was also supported by the SPD in his election on October 29th. School district councilor Gregor Kempert (SPD), building district councilor Thorsten Schatz (CDU) and social district councilor Lars Leschewitz (Left) were also elected. According to the proportional representation system, the Left Party is entitled to a seat in the district office, even though it is not part of the counting community.

There is no counting community in Reinickendorf. The district mayor Sebastian Pieper (CDU), elected on October 29th, wants to govern with changing majorities. In Neukölln, which has been governed by a red-green coalition since 2016, the Left Party and the Greens are negotiating an alliance - albeit extremely slowly.

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