Berlin Left, Greens and SPD move toward coalition, outline housing plan
The Left, Greens and SPD in Berlin have agreed to start formal coalition talks and unveiled a public-housing agenda that could bring 160,000 apartments under municipal control.
Berlin's Left, Greens and SPD concluded initial discussions and will seek party approval to begin formal coalition negotiations, with votes scheduled for the Greens on Monday and the Left on October 31. The three parties presented a housing platform that seeks to place roughly 160,000 apartments, among them properties owned by Vonovia, into public hands and to secure planning permission for 100,000 new affordable homes by 2031.
They also plan to introduce rent limits for publicly owned units. The talks had stalled earlier over concerns about antisemitism within the Left, but those issues were resolved before resuming. The coalition effort follows the Left's 25.7% vote share in the recent Berlin elections, positioning it as the largest party. If approved, negotiations could start in early November.
Why it matters
The coalition could reshape Berlin's housing market, affecting affordability for thousands of residents.
How this story developed
- Sep 24 Berlin election fuels fierce debate over housing expropriation and coalition prospects
- Sep 30 Two weeks after the Left's strong showing in Berlin's election, leaders from SPD, the Greens and the Left convened at the Haus der Statistik on Alexanderplatz. The parties said they would first agree on core issues such as antisemitism, racism and organized crime before moving to formal exploratory talks. The meeting was described as a tentative step toward a possible red-green-red alliance, with further discussions expected in the coming days.
- Oct 6 The party moved from campaign rhetoric to a detailed plan to expropriate apartments from eight major landlords.
- Oct 13 SPD economics minister Franziska Giffey announced she will not back continuation of the exploratory coalition talks.
- Oct 14 The Left’s Berlin parliamentary faction voted to admit Vanessa Emde.
- Oct 16 Coalition talks were resumed after a one‑day suspension.
- Oct 17 The three parties completed exploratory negotiations and will seek approval to open coalition talks.
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