Berlin, October 9th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Two and a half weeks after the state election, the Left Party (“Die Linke”), the Greens and the SPD have begun exploratory talks on forming a government in Berlin. Left Party state chair Kerstin Wolter told reporters that the three parties intend to meet continuously in order to reach a result as quickly as possible, according to German-language media reports. She said they are ready to take on responsibility for the city together.
Exploratory talks are not yet coalition negotiations. The participants use them to identify their key priorities and to determine whether formal negotiations would have a chance of success. It is unclear how long the process will take, and it could still collapse.
The way was cleared by a joint understanding on antisemitism and clan crime. The Greens and the SPD had made such an agreement a precondition for entering talks. Several incidents involving the Left Party had raised concerns among the potential partners.
Jewish Life
The declaration, drafted over several meetings, states that the parties will protect Jewish life, promote coexistence and work for peace and understanding. Israel’s right to exist is described as “non-negotiable,” according to the text. It also commits the parties to strengthening the police and the domestic intelligence agency in their mission to protect Jewish life in Berlin. In addition, the fight against antisemitism, racism and hostility toward Sinti and Roma is to be written into the state constitution.
Violations of principles on antisemitism adopted by a party or a parliamentary group are to have consequences, up to and including expulsion. In cases involving incidents or remarks hostile to Israel by members of a parliamentary group, a procedure is planned in which the groups coordinate their assessments and may consult outside experts. The affected group would then decide on consequences itself.
The three parties also agreed to strictly avoid contacts with organized crime and to punish violations. Senate members and elected representatives are to keep a clear distance from individuals and circles associated with organized crime. Obviously, aspects which should be selfevident to any democratic party became part of the agreement because of recent scandals in “Die Linke”.
Clear Line
SPD state chair Steffen Krach said the paper establishes a clear line against antisemitism. He added that there is now the greatest possible assurance that neither the Senate nor the parliamentary groups will tolerate it. Green parliamentary group leader Werner Graf said an agreement of this kind was unprecedented in Germany. He called it a “protection pledge” for all Jews. Wolter acknowledged that the approach is unusual, but said it was chosen deliberately. The agreement is aimed mainly at her own party’s group in the state parliament, and she said credibility is one of the goals.
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, criticized the agreement. “The joint paper cannot replace decisive action”, he stated. “Formulas for protecting Jewish life cannot conceal the antisemitism that continues to be tolerated within the Left Party.” Schuster said the SPD and the Greens had a duty to “demand concrete consequences, including personnel consequences, and to make cooperation contingent on the implementation of these consequences”. Otherwise, regardless of any written agreements, this government formation would further fuel the advancing normalization of antisemitism.
Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society, was unimpressed. He said the paper promised action against every form of antisemitism, “but nothing more.” In his words, it contains “a lot of poetry” and little clarity. Franziska Brantner, a federal chair of the Greens, demanded personnel consequences within the Left Party. Stefan Evers, who leads the CDU in Berlin and in the state parliament, called the agreement a fig leaf meant to conceal the Left Party’s antisemitism problem. He said the three parties had presented no effective mechanism, only a collection of truisms.
Koçak’s Contacts
In the September 20th election, the Left Party finished first by a wide margin with 25.7 percent. It is now pursuing a coalition with the SPD and the Greens. If that comes together, Elif Eralp, who co-chairs the party’s parliamentary group, could become the first Left Party politician to serve as Berlin’s Governing Mayor.
Parts of the Berlin Left Party have repeatedly faced criticism over their positions on Israel, the Palestinians and antisemitism. An election night party held by the party’s Neukölln chapter on September 20th caused a stir. Among the guests were a leading member of a clan with partly criminal activities and a controversial pro-Palestinian activist. He is said to be close to the Palestinian terror organization PFLP.
A photo shared on social media showed the man next to Ferat Koçak, a Left Party member of the Bundestag from Neukölln. Koçak is also under pressure over contacts with the so-called clan milieu. He had exchanged chat messages with a son of the clan member in question. Koçak called this a mistake and gave up his seat on the Bundestag’s Interior Committee.
Further Consequences
Krach called for further consequences. He said his clear expectation is that someone in such a position should no longer belong to the Left Party’s Bundestag group. Wolter said she also believes Koçak made mistakes, adding that the process of dealing with the matter is not yet over.
Wolter did not confirm media reports that a certain person is not to be part of the Left Party’s group in the state parliament because of past Israel-critical remarks. She pointed to a party convention decision requiring candidates and officeholders to abide by party resolutions. The Left Party’s group in the state parliament plans to amend its bylaws to state this unmistakably at that level too, including possible sanctions.
