Coalition negotiations between the Left, the Greens and the SPD are underway in Berlin amid continued reservations within the Social Democratic Party. Critics have raised concerns about the Berlin Left’s ability to govern, as well as its positions on antisemitism, the police, organized crime and the proposed socialization of property.
An open letter signed by SPD members, titled “Not at Any Price,” says there are serious doubts about whether the Berlin branch of the Left is capable of governing. The concerns were reinforced by the publication of internal comments connected to an interview with Left candidate Elif Eralp, which indicated that she feared groups sympathetic to Hamas despite working with them at party level, according to the report.
Former federal health minister Karl Lauterbach, who signed the letter, said the coverage had shocked him. He argued that the reported concerns raised questions about whether Berlin could be governed effectively under such a coalition.
Berlin’s outgoing SPD economic senator, Franziska Giffey, also signed the letter. She had previously said she would not take part in coalition negotiations with the Left, citing disagreements over antisemitism, organized crime, the party’s attitude toward the police and the financial feasibility of election promises. Giffey said that, if negotiations went ahead, they should remain open-ended and welcomed the idea of allowing SPD members to have the final say in a membership vote.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has likewise backed the letter, while stressing that the SPD does not categorically reject alliances with the Left. He pointed to what he described as a deeply troubled relationship with security authorities and disagreements over how to deal with criminal clans. In his view, these issues make the Left an unsuitable coalition partner for the SPD at the present time.
The federal SPD cannot prohibit its Berlin organization from forming a coalition with the Left, but it can increase political pressure. According to political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder, the open letter is aimed both at Berlin’s Social Democrats and at the Left during the negotiations. Ignoring the criticism, he said, could cost the Left its coalition partner and therefore its chance to govern.
The letter’s title serves as both a warning and a difficult question for the Berlin SPD: how high a price is it willing to pay to enter government?
Sources: Tagesschau.