Merz urges coalition partners to block a left-leaning Berlin mayor candidate
Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the Greens and SPD to use their parliamentary majorities to prevent a left-wing mayoral candidate in Berlin.
At the Deutschland Gipfel organized by Wirtschaftswoche and Handelsblatt, Chancellor Friedrich Merz linked Germany’s expensive energy to past exit policy mistakes and blamed long-term uncontrolled migration for harming the country. He also highlighted what he described as extremist forces entering the Saxony-Anhalt parliament, warning that voting for the AfD supports extremists. Turning to the post-election government formation in Berlin, Merz appealed to the Greens and the SPD, the coalition partner of his CDU, to leverage their current majorities to block a left-wing mayoral candidate.
He argued that such a move aligns with his party’s values. The remarks reflect ongoing tensions within the governing coalition over the direction of Berlin’s leadership.
Why it matters
The chancellor’s call could shape Berlin’s mayoral outcome and signal intra-coalition conflicts.
How this story developed
- Sep 23 Heidenau city council will vote on a motion, supported by CDU and AfD members, to reject two proposed Stolpersteine for Fritz and Martha Goldstein and instead favor a collective memorial at the Nordfriedhof.
- Sep 24 Merz faces mounting pressure after the regional setbacks.
- Sep 24 The Israeli ambassador warned of an “immediate existential threat” to Berlin’s Jewish community over alleged antisemitism in the party.
- Sep 24 After the recent Berlin vote, Die Linke’s pledge to nationalise large landlords has deepened divisions, while its need for a coalition with the Greens and SPD faces scepticism.
- 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.
- 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 6 The party moved from campaign rhetoric to a detailed plan to expropriate apartments from eight major landlords.
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