The Social Democratic Party (SPD) of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost local elections in Berlin on Sunday (12). Scholz’s party took 18% of the vote while the conservative CDU party won about 28% of the vote in Berlin’s regional parliament elections, according to estimates by broadcasters ARD and ZDF. If the numbers are confirmed, it will be the first time in 20 years that the CDU surpasses the SDP as the biggest political force in the German capital.
Originally, elections for the regional parliament took place in September 2021, but ended up annulled in November 2022 by the Constitutional Court of Berlin due to the problems registered, such as long queues and incorrect ballots. In the 2021 election, the SPD had emerged victorious, with 21.4% of the vote, and assembled a coalition with the Greens and the Left party, led by the Social Democrat and current mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, who was trying to remain in charge. The CDU had taken third place, with 18% of the vote.
Analysts point out that the CDU’s victory happened thanks to the growing dissatisfaction of Berlin residents with the city’s management and the lack of solutions to chronic problems in the region, such as the lack of housing.
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