2021 Berlin state election
German state election / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2021 Berlin state election, ruled invalid in 2022 and repeated in 2023, was held on 26 September 2021, on the same day as the 2021 German federal election, which also had to be repeated in parts of Berlin due to irregularities. Thus, the 19th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin[1][2] was elected twice.
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All 147 seats in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin, including 17 overhang and leveling seats 74 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 1,844,278 (75.4%) 8.5 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The incumbent government was a red-red-green coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Left, and The Greens led by Governing Mayor Michael Müller. Müller did not run for re-election as Mayor, and former federal minister Franziska Giffey led the SPD in the election.[3] The Berlin expropriation referendum was held on the same day, as well as the Borough council elections who function as the municipal elections of Berlin.
The SPD remained the largest party with 21.4% of votes cast, recording minimal change compared to 2016. The Greens narrowly surpassed the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to become the second largest party with 19% of the vote. The Left recorded a small decline to 14%, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) lost almost half its vote share and finished on 8%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) remained the smallest party in the Abgeordnetenhaus with 7%.[4]
Post-election, SPD's Giffey and Bettina Jarasch of the Greens both spoke out in favour of a coalition involving their parties.[4] They ultimately renewed the outgoing government with The Left. Franziska Giffey was elected as Governing Mayor on 21 December and her cabinet was sworn in the same day.[5]
Due to numerous irregularities that took place during the election, the Constitutional Court of the State of Berlin annulled the results in November 2022. As a result, repeat elections were scheduled for the next year.[6]
The last election took place on 18 September 2016. The Abgeordnetenhaus has a term of five years, so the next regular elections must take place no later than September 2021.[2] Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer recommended that the election take place on the same date as the 2021 German federal election, which took place on 26 September 2021.[1]
The Abgeordnetenhaus is elected via mixed-member proportional representation. 78 members are elected in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting. 52 members are then allocated using compensatory proportional representation, distributed in each of Berlin's twelve boroughs. German voters have two votes: the "first vote" for candidates in single-member constituencies, and the "second vote" for party lists, which are used to fill the proportional seats. The minimum size of the Abgeordnetenhaus is 130 members, but if overhang seats are present, proportional leveling seats will be added to ensure proportionality. An electoral threshold of 5% of valid votes is applied to the Abgeordnetenhaus; parties that fall below this threshold are excluded from the Abgeordnetenhaus. However, parties which win at least one single-member constituency are exempt from the threshold and will be allocated seats proportionally, even if they fall below 5%.[2]
In the previous election held on 13 March 2016, the SPD remained the largest party with 21.6% of the vote, a loss of 6.7 percentage points. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was the second largest party with 17.6%, a loss of 5.7 points. The Left overtook The Greens to become the third largest party on 15.6%, while The Greens won 15.2%. Alternative for Germany (AfD) contested their first election in Berlin, winning 14.2%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) re-entered the Abgeordnetenhaus with 6.7%.
The SPD had led a coalition with the CDU since 2011, but this government lost its majority in the election. The SPD subsequently formed a coalition with The Left and The Greens.
The table below lists parties currently represented in the 18th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.
Name | Ideology | Lead candidate |
Leader(s) | 2016 result | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||
SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands |
Social democracy | Franziska Giffey | Franziska Giffey Raed Saleh |
21.6% | 38 / 160 | |
CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands |
Christian democracy | Kai Wegner | Kai Wegner | 17.6% | 31 / 160 | |
Linke | The Left Die Linke |
Democratic socialism | Klaus Lederer | Katina Schubert | 15.6% | 27 / 160 | |
Grüne | Alliance 90/The Greens Bündnis 90/Die Grünen |
Green politics | Bettina Jarasch | Nina Stahr Werner Graf |
15.2% | 27 / 160 | |
AfD | Alternative for Germany Alternative für Deutschland |
Right-wing populism | Kristin Brinker | Kristin Brinker | 14.2% | 25 / 160 | |
FDP | Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei |
Classical liberalism | Sebastian Czaja | Christoph Meyer | 6.7% | 12 / 160 |
Lead candidates
On 5 October 2020, the Greens nominated Bettina Jarasch, spokeswoman for integration and refugees, as their lead candidate for the election. She previously served as chairwoman of the state party from 2011 to 2016.[7] She was formally elected as lead candidate on 12 December.[8]
On 9 October, state CDU leader Kai Wegner was selected as his party's lead candidate.[9]
Prior to the election, incumbent mayor Michael Müller voiced his desire to move into federal politics rather than seek another term. On 30 November 2020, the state party executive nominated Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Franziska Giffey as lead candidate for the election. She was simultaneously elected co-leader of the Berlin branch of the party alongside parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh.[9][3]
On 8 December, The Left nominated incumbent Deputy Mayor and Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer as its lead candidate for the election. Lederer is noted as one of the most popular politicians in Berlin, achieving consistently high approval ratings.[10]
On 27 March 2021, the FDP elected parliamentary group leader Sebastian Czaja as their lead candidate for the election.[11]