Ahead of 4:30 p.m. SPD vote, Berlin leader’s own local branch opposes left alliance
Pressure on Berlin’s Social Democrats is mounting before a vote on coalition talks with the Left Party. Even state leader Krach’s local branch objects, and Greens leader Dröge voices concern.
Archive image · Photo: DanielMurray502 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The Berlin Social Democrats’ state executive is set to decide at 4:30 p.m. on Monday in a virtual meeting whether to open coalition talks with the Left Party and the Greens. The local branch of state party leader Steffen Krach has also come out against an alliance with the Left, the Tagesspiegel reported. Earlier, 20 Social Democratic members of the Bundestag declared themselves “emphatically against opening coalition negotiations with the Berlin Left.”
Warnings also came from the Greens’ parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Its co-leader Katharina Dröge said parts of the Left Party had “a considerable problem with antisemitism.” Berlin Interior Senator Iris Spranger, a Social Democrat, said the cooperation must not be mere “party convention noise.” Young Socialists leader Philipp Türmer, by contrast, sees “an opportunity for Berlin.”
Berlin’s Greens meet at a small party convention from 8 p.m., and parliamentary leader Werner Graf expects a majority. The Left Party votes only on Oct. 31 because of the autumn school holidays. If all three parties agree, negotiations could begin in early November.