Abgeordnetenhaus: Berliner Parlament kleiner als zunächst gedacht

Berlin's new Abgeordnetenhaus, the parliamentary body, is smaller than initially anticipated following the September 20th election. This conclusion emerges from the official election results announced by the Landeswahlausschuss in a public meeting. The parliament comprises 153 seats, a number initially projected at 158. The discrepancy stems from an error in the transmission of election results from Spandau Wahlkreis 1, a mistake known about a week prior.

A recount revealed that the AfD candidate Tommy Tabor received the most first votes and thus the direct mandate, not the CDU candidate Bettina Meißner. Consequently, officially, after recalculating compensatory and overhang mandates, the CDU, Greens, and SPD each have one fewer seat than originally planned, while the Left receives two fewer.

The change has no impact on coalition possibilities. In the prior election, the Left emerged as the strongest force with 25.7 percent of the vote, followed by the CDU (18.8 percent), AfD (16.3 percent), Greens (14.3 percent), and SPD (12.1 percent). In the new parliament, the Left holds 45 of the 153 seats, the CDU 33 seats, and the AfD 29 seats.

The Greens have 25 deputies, and the SPD, after its historically worst result, has 21 mandates. The previously governing CDU/SPD coalition has thus lost its majority. The Left aims to forge a three-way coalition with the Greens and SPD, which would have 91 seats, 14 more than the absolute majority. Alternatively, a coalition of CDU, Greens, and SPD would have only two seats over the absolute majority.

At the Landeswahlausschuss meeting, the committee also discussed several submissions from citizens or party representatives, including a criticism that the complex distribution of mandates among parties lacked a sufficient legal basis. The Landeswahlausschuss comprises Landeswahlleiter Stephan Bröchler, two judges from the Oberverwaltungsgericht, and six electors appointed by parties. More: "Pure CDU is over" – Pressure mounts on Merz ahead of the vote.