The 2021 Berlin state election was held on 26 September 2021 to elect the 19th
Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin
The Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin (House of Deputies) () is the state parliament (''Landtag'') of Berlin, Germany according to the city-state's constitution. In 1993 the parliament moved from Rathaus Schöneberg to its present house on Niederkirchne ...
.
The incumbent government was a coalition of the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
(SPD),
The Left, and
The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to:
Current political parties
* Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens''
* Greens of Andorra
* Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Greens of Burkina
* Greens (Greece)
* Greens of Montenegro
*Greens of Serbia
*G ...
led by
Governing Mayor Michael Müller. Müller did not run for re-election as Mayor, and former federal minister
Franziska Giffey
Franziska Giffey (, Süllke, born 3 May 1978) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as Governing Mayor of Berlin since December 2021, the first woman elected to this position. She previously served as ...
led the SPD in the election.
The
Berlin expropriation referendum was held on the same day, as well as the Borough council elections who function as the
municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
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
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(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%.
Post-election, SPD's Giffey and
Bettina Jarasch of the Greens both spoke out in favour of a coalition involving their parties.
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.
Due to
numerous irregularities that took place during the election, the Berlin Constitutional Court annuled the results in November 2022. As a result,
repeat elections were scheduled for the next year.
Election date
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.
Federal Minister of the Interior
Horst Seehofer
Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician who served as Minister of the Interior, Building and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), he served as the 18 ...
recommended that the election take place on the same date as the
2021 German federal election
Federal elections in Germany, Federal elections were held in Germany on 26 September 2021 to elect the members of the List of members of the 20th Bundestag, 20th Bundestag. States of Germany, State elections in 2021 Berlin state election, Berli ...
, which took place on 26 September 2021.
Electoral system
The Abgeordnetenhaus is elected via
mixed-member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP or MMPR) is a mixed electoral system in which votes cast are considered in local elections and also to determine overall party vote tallies, which are used to allocate additional members to produce ...
. 78 members are elected in
single-member constituencies
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vot ...
via
first-past-the-post voting
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
. 52 members are then allocated using compensatory proportional representation, distributed in each of Berlin's twelve
boroughs
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
. German voters have two votes: the "first vote" for candidates in single-member constituencies, and the "second vote" for
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
s, which are used to fill the proportional seats. The minimum size of the Abgeordnetenhaus is 130 members, but if
overhang seat
Overhang seats are constituency seats won in an election under the traditional mixed member proportional (MMP) system (as it originated in Germany), when a party's share of the nationwide votes would entitle it to fewer seats than the number of ...
s are present, proportional
leveling seat
Leveling seats ( da, tillægsmandat, sv, utjämningsmandat, no, utjevningsmandater, is, jöfnunarsæti, german: Ausgleichsmandat), commonly known also as adjustment seats, are an election mechanism employed for many years by all Nordic countrie ...
s will be added to ensure proportionality. An
electoral threshold
The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...
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%.
Background
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 point
A percentage point or percent point is the unit (measurement), unit for the Difference (mathematics), arithmetic difference between two percentages. For example, moving up from 40 percent to 44 percent is an increase of 4 percentage points, but a ...
s. 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
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(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.
Parties
The table below lists parties currently represented in the 18th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.
Campaign
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. She was formally elected as lead candidate on 12 December.
On 9 October, state CDU leader
Kai Wegner was selected as his party's lead candidate.
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
Franziska Giffey (, Süllke, born 3 May 1978) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as Governing Mayor of Berlin since December 2021, the first woman elected to this position. She previously served as ...
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
Raed Saleh (born 10 June 1977) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He is serving as parliamentary leader of the SPD in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin since 2011, and co-leader of the Berlin branch of the SPD since 2020.
...
.
On 8 December, The Left nominated incumbent Deputy Mayor and Senator for Culture
Klaus Lederer
Klaus Lederer (born 21 March 1974) is a German politician of The Left who is serving as Deputy Mayor and Senator for Culture and Europe in the Berlin state government since December 2016. He is also a member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin s ...
as its lead candidate for the election. Lederer is noted as one of the most popular politicians in Berlin, achieving consistently high approval ratings.
On 27 March 2021, the FDP elected parliamentary group leader
Sebastian Czaja as their lead candidate for the election.
Opinion polling
Graphical summary
Party polling
Results
By constituency
Aftermath
Government formation
The results showed that the next government would have to consist of three parties, in order to get a majority, all parties ruled out the possibility of working with the AfD. Before the results, the SPD's candidate Franziska Giffey had stated that she was looking to form a coalition involving the CDU and the FDP. Post-election, both the SPD's Giffey and Bettina Jarasch of the Greens spoke out in favour of a coalition involving their parties but differed on a third partner, as Giffey favoured a
traffic light coalition
In German politics, a traffic light coalition (german: Ampelkoalition) is a coalition government of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Alliance 90/The Greens. It is named after the parties' tra ...
with the FDP, while the Greens voiced their desire to renew the incumbent
red–red–green coalition
Red–red–green coalition, alternatively "red–green–red" or "green–red–red", refers to a left-wing political alliance of two "red" social democratic, socialist, or communist parties with one "green" environmentalist party.
By country ...
with The Left. Giffey faced resistance within her party for her stance. The SPD and Greens agreed to seek preliminary discussions with both the FDP and Left. On 14 October, Giffey announced that the SPD would enter coalition negotiations with the Greens and The Left.
The three parties finalised a coalition agreement on 28 November. It was approved by 91.5% of delegates at an SPD congress on 5 December. On, 12 December, it was passed by the Greens congress 96.4% approval. The Left carried out a membership ballot on the coalition pact. Most party representatives endorsed the agreement, though some, such as
Katalin Gennburg, campaigned against it. The results were announced on 17 December, with 74.9% of members voting in favour of the agreement.
Giffey was elected as Governing Mayor by the Abgeordnetenhaus on 21 December, winning 84 votes out of 139 votes. The
Giffey senate, comprising four SPD, three Green, three Left, and one independent senator, was sworn in the same day.
Irregularities and annulment
Numerous irregularities were reported during the elections in Berlin, including shortages of ballot papers, unusually long queues to vote, ballots being delivered to the wrong locations, and in some cases voters being turned away or offered only ballot papers for the
federal election. Problems were exacerbated by
a marathon taking place in the city on the same day. Irregularities were especially common in the
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf.
Overview
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the w ...
and
Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain () is a quarter (''Ortsteil'') of the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. From its creation in 1920 until 2001, it was a freestanding city borough. Formerly part of East Berlin, it is adjacent to Mitte, Prenz ...
districts. State electoral officer Petra Michaelis resigned three days after the election, taking responsibility for the failures in the election process. The state interior minister announced an inquiry into the events and stated that investigations would take place concerning incidents at approximately 100 of Berlin's 2,245 polling stations. This was later revised to 207 of 2,257 polling stations. Reviews and corrections are considered unlikely to change the overall results of the state or federal elections, but may affect the outcome of results in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf 6 and Marzahn-Hellersdorf 1 constituencies for the state election. Preliminary results showed the SPD candidate ahead by 8 votes in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf 6; a recount saw the seat flip to the Greens by a margin of 23 votes. The new result was later certified by the electoral office.
On 22 November, the state electoral committee and interior ministry requested that the Berlin Constitutional Court rule on the validity of the election results in the Pankow 3, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf 6, and Marzahn-Hellersdorf 1 constituencies. The court may determine that a repeat of the elections is necessary in the affected constituencies; it is expected to take several months to deliver its verdict. The interior ministry clarified that, although irregularities were recorded in many constituencies, they were only significant enough to change the result in the three specified. Nonetheless, the state government plans to establish an expert committee to investigate the irregularities.
After months of investigation and hearings, on 28 September 2022, the Berlin Constitutional Court issued a preliminary assessment declaring that a full repeat of the both the state and district council elections was likely necessary. The court handed down its official ruling on 16 November, voiding the results and mandating a new election within 90 days. Presiding judge Ludgera Selting stated that the frequency and gravity of irregularities were severe enough to affect the outcome of the results, and that serious systemic flaws were present during preparation for the election.
The new election must take place within 90 days – 14 February 2023 at the latest.
A likely date is Sunday 12 February. The repeat election will not reset the legislative period, meaning another full state election must still take place in 2026 or earlier.
In addition, the Election Audit Committee of the
Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
reviewed the findings of the Berlin Constitutional Court to determine whether a repeat of the federal election was required in Berlin. On 7 November, the committee recommended that the elections be repeated in 431 affected polling stations. This was put forward by the governing coalition of the SPD, Greens, and FDP, who formed the majority in the committee. The CDU/CSU and AfD factions opposed this, insisting that a full repeat in the six affected constituencies should take place. The committee's recommendation was approved by the Bundestag on 10 November.
Due to a differing process and anticipated legal challenges which could bring the issue before the Federal Constitutional Court, any repeat of the federal election in Berlin is unlikely to take place for a longer period of time, and may be delayed to 2024.
See also
*
2021 Berlin referendum
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin state election, Next
2021 elections in Germany
Elections in Berlin
Opinion polling in Germany
2021 in Berlin
Annulled elections