Berlin’s Left, Greens and SPD resume coalition talks after brief suspension
Exploratory talks between Berlin’s Left, Greens and SPD have restarted following a one‑day pause. The parties said the joint anti‑antisemitism declaration they drafted will be included in any prospective coalition treaty, pending final approval by the Left’s party congress. The Left’s Berlin faction confirmed it will continue to admit Vanessa Emde to its parliamentary group, a move that had contributed to the earlier suspension. SPD parliamentary leader Steffen Krach and Greens federal co‑chair Felix Banaszak both expressed readiness to move forward, while Left chair Elif Eralp highlighted an open dialogue among the three parties.
Why it matters
The outcome will shape Berlin’s next governing coalition and set the framework for how the parties address antisemitism policy.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage stresses a constructive step forward with parties reaffirming the anti-antisemitism pact and resuming talks, while centrist coverage reports that the talks have broken down and expresses disappointment over Israel-related pledges; Right-leaning coverage notes that talks are resuming but foregrounds the controversy over Vanessa Emde and the antisemitism dispute.
LEFT
Covers the resumption of coalition talks as a positive move, emphasizing the reaffirmation of the anti-antisemitism declaration and its inclusion in a future agreement.
CENTER
Frames the situation as a breakdown of coalition talks, highlighting disappointment with the parties' pledges on Israel and organized crime.
RIGHT
Portrays the talks as proceeding despite criticism, focusing on the controversy surrounding Vanessa Emde and the underlying antisemitism dispute.
The left emphasises
- reaffirm anti-antisemitism declaration
- talks will resume
- joint declaration to be written into coalition agreement
The right emphasises
- controversial member Vanessa Emde
- antisemitism dispute
- talks resume despite criticism
Possibly left out
- One outlet's reports the pact will be written into a coalition agreement, absent from right-leaning coverage which highlights the Vanessa Emde controversy.
How this story developed
- Sep 24 The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance pledged support for the AfD’s speaker nominee, creating a parliamentary majority for the AfD in Saxony‑Anhalt.
- Sep 27 The council has scheduled a vote on the proposed ban.
- Sep 27 SPD and Greens issued a joint warning demanding Die Linke reject antisemitism and clan crime before coalition talks proceed.
- Sep 29 AfD parliamentary group chair Ulrich Siegmund said he will stand for the Minister-President post in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament in December.
- 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 3 Tobias Rausch was elected speaker of the Landtag.
- Oct 3 AfD now ahead of the Union in the latest INSA Sunday poll, widening the gap.
- Oct 5 The council moved from debating the proposal to formally approving the resolution that declines new Stolpersteine applications.
- Oct 7 A secret ballot produced undisclosed extra votes, prompting CDU leaders to demand an investigation.
- 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.
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