Coalition negotiations in Berlin: The rumblings in the SPD

Coalition negotiations in Berlin The rumblings in the SPD As of: November 2nd, 2026 • 6:22 p.m

Coalition negotiations between the Left, the Greens and the SPD have begun in Berlin. There are still reservations in the SPD - including among federal politicians such as Boris Pistorius and Karl Lauterbach.

The open letter from Social Democrats against a red-green-red coalition in Berlin entitled "Not at any price" states:

The doubts were also fueled by the publication of internal comments as part of an Elif Eralp interview in Spiegel. It reveals how afraid the top candidate of the Berlin Left is of Hamas sympathizers.

Former SPD Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach says the reporting shocked him. If Elif Eralp is afraid "of these groups with whom she works at party level, then that is a contradiction and raises concerns as to whether Berlin can then be well governed."

The formation of a government in Berlin is once again overshadowed by a debate about the Left Party. more

Lauterbach signed the open letter, as did Berlin's current SPD economics senator Franziska Giffey. She had already declared a few days ago that she would not take part in coalition negotiations with the Left: "This is the issue of anti-Semitism, this is how to deal with organized crime, the attitude towards the police, also issues such as socialization, which are quite controversial and many promises that have been made where you simply have to ask the question, are they even financially viable."

Coalition negotiations should - if at all - be conducted with an open mind, said Giffey. And she says she thinks it's right that the opinion of the SPD base is included in a membership decision.

Boris Pistorius also signed the letter, but emphasized that the SPD does not fundamentally question alliances with the left. An important point for the Federal Defense Minister: "It's also about the relationship with the security authorities, a completely disturbed relationship. Or the question of how to deal with criminal clans? All of this cannot be a coalition partner in these times for a party like the SPD, which has always stood for internal security with successful interior ministers at the federal and state levels."

The Left, the Greens and the SPD have begun negotiations on a joint government in Berlin. more

The federal SPD cannot prohibit the Berlin SPD from forming a coalition with the Left, but it can build up pressure. And increasingly it does.

On the one hand, on the Berlin Social Democrats, but also on the Left in the coalition negotiations, says political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder: "If the Left Party were to say, 'Yes, we're not interested in what the SPD is saying' - they not only risk losing their partner, but also losing power, and in doing so they would squander all their opportunities. So, in this respect, the letter is a means of pressure to achieve a more favorable negotiation result for the SPD."

The title of the SPD members' open letter, "Not at any price," is a warning - and for the Berlin SPD the uncomfortable question: How high should the price of governing be?

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | The rumblings in the SPD about RGR in Berlin | 11/02/2026 | 5:18 p.m