Berlin election tightens into three-way contest as housing dominates debate

The Left Party, CDU and AfD are closely matched ahead of Berlin’s state election, according to an infratest dimap poll cited by DW. Housing is central to the campaign, with the Left Party backing a 2021 referendum on transferring large landlords’ properties into public ownership.

Berlin’s state election is shaping up as a closely fought contest between the socialist Left Party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union and the far-right Alternative for Germany, according to Deutsche Welle. The election will choose the state parliament, which determines the city’s next mayor.

An infratest dimap poll cited by DW puts the Left Party on 21%, followed by the CDU on 20% and the AfD on 18%. The Greens are on 16%, while the Social Democrats, historically a major governing force in Berlin, are polling at 12%.

The city’s political geography makes the result difficult to predict. Central districts have recently favored the Greens or the Left Party, while the outskirts, where most Berliners live, are more associated with the CDU and, in some districts, the AfD. CDU general secretary in Berlin Lukas Krieger told DW that the city was “particularly challenging,” but argued that the contest was increasingly a duel between the CDU and the Left Party.

Krieger said the AfD had no route into government because no other party wanted to work with it. He portrayed the CDU as a guarantor of political stability, while describing the Berlin Left Party as radical. DW reported that the CDU is also campaigning under a new mayoral candidate, Finance Minister Stefan Evers, after incumbent Kai Wegner decided not to run again.

Housing is one of the election’s defining issues. In a 2021 referendum, 59% of Berlin voters backed expropriating real estate companies with more than 3,000 housing units and transferring their properties to public ownership. Successive governments led by the SPD and CDU have delayed implementation while commissions examined the proposal, according to DW.

Political scientist Julia Reuschenbach told DW that the Left Party’s appeal partly comes from its clear policy positions and its refusal to support the CDU. The party has also faced accusations of antisemitism after a campaign-event performance, while its support for describing Israel’s military action in Gaza as genocide has become important to some supporters. DW said the election could reshape Berlin politics and increase pressure on the national CDU leadership.