Berlin Left Party wins local vote, sparking SPD coalition row over antisemitism allegations

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6 days · 4 summary articles
Berlin’s Left Party secured a decisive victory in Sunday’s local elections, propelling its candidate, Elif Eralp, into contention for mayor and igniting a fierce debate within the SPD over potential coalition partnerships.
Prominent SPD figures, including Brandenburg’s Minister-President Dietmar Woidke, warned against aligning with the Left Party, citing concerns over antisemitism within its ranks. Woidke told *Tagesspiegel* that “the Berliner Linke is in parts openly antisemitic and in parts at least openly supportive of criminal clans,” adding that it “stands for a weakening of justice and police” and should not govern in its current state . Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse echoed these reservations.
Former Berlin Mayor Michael Müller, also of the SPD, proposed a compromise: embedding a clear stance on antisemitism in a coalition agreement’s preamble, similar to a 2001 SPD-PDS pact addressing DDR-era injustices. Müller told *Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland* that such a preamble had previously provided a foundation for collaboration .
Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner demanded Eralp explicitly distance herself from extremists and criminal networks, stating that “antisemites or individuals with ties to organized crime or Islamism must not shape any government” . Ron Dekel, president of the Jewish Student Union of Germany, called for the Left Party to demonstrate accountability, including expelling members linked to antisemitism.
The Left Party’s surge in Berlin—where it outperformed the Greens by nearly 10 percentage points—has intensified pressure on the SPD to clarify its position as coalition talks loom . SPD faction leader Matthias Miersch acknowledged the party’s uncertainty in a *Welt* interview, addressing the Left Party’s antisemitism allegations alongside the SPD’s own polling struggles .
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