Upcoming polls in Europe - Unique Berlin trends: Greens leading and AfD ranking fourth [
In the recent European election, Berlin displayed a contrasting pattern from the neighboring eastern German states and Brandenburg, where the AfD emerged as the most dominant force. However, it was the Greens that secured the top spot in the capital, accounting for 19.6% of the votes. Regrettably, this marked a considerable decline from their prior 27.8% in 2019. The CDU, which has been ruling the black-red Senate in Berlin, lagged behind, claiming second place with 17.6%.
The Christian Democrats, which have been at the helm of the black-red Senate in Berlin for over a year, managed to perform marginally better in this election than they did five years ago, though fell short of their 28% result garnered in the 2021 state parliament elections.
The AfD's performance in Berlin failed to match the noticeable improvements in other German states and was nowhere near becoming the most influential party: With 11.6% of the votes, they claimed fourth place.
Intriguingly, voting patterns within Berlin demonstrated sharp contrasts. While the CDU attracted high voter support in the western parts and the Greens emerged on top in the city center, the AfD maintained its presence in the eastern parts - for instance, in Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, where it received 25.3% of the total votes.
The districts in the eastern part of Berlin exhibited clear preferences for the Left-Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which secured its best results in these areas, particularly in Marzahn-Hellersdorf with 17.1%. Notably, the Greens led the way in six out of the city's twelve districts. In three districts, the CDU and AfD retained their lead positions.
The SPD's showing in Berlin took a further nosedive in comparison to their previous electoral declines, garnering only 13.2% - their poorest result in a European election in the city. Nonetheless, this led them to clinch the coveted third spot in the party rankings, edging ahead of the AfD. The Left saw a sizeable drop, garnering 7.3%. In its maiden run in the Berlin elections, the BSW mustered 8.7% citywide.
Nina Stahr, Green party chairwoman, commented on the results to dpa, expressing unease with the BSW's performance. "We will have to scrutinize this issue carefully." Surprisingly, many Berliners were disenchanted and expressed their frustrations through their votes. The AfD's result fell short of what had been expected in numerous surveys in recent months. "We would've wanted it to be even lower," lamented the Greens.
Concerning the Greens' own performance, Stahr emphasized their seriousness regarding the losses. "We're taking this very seriously," she stated. Simultaneously, the Berlin election results prompted the Greens to continue championing ecological, just, and sustainable politics.
Berlin's CDU general secretary, Ottilie Klein, highlighted the voter's endorsement of a robust Europe with a strong political center. SPD state chairmen Nicola Böcker-Giannini and Martin Hikel, disgruntled by their party's performance, called for re-evaluating their content offerings in an attempt to win back public trust.
AfD chairwoman Kristin Brinker underlined the party's gains. "This underscores that voters are not swayed by fearmongering campaigns against the AfD." Left state leader Maximilian Schirmer characterized his party's nationwide result as utterly disastrous, exclaiming, "There's nothing pretty about it."
