2023 Berlin state election

2023 Berlin repeat state election

← 2021 12 February 2023 2026 →

All 159 seats in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin, including 29 overhang and leveling seats
80 seats needed for a majority
Turnout1,529,558 (62.9%) Decrease 12.4pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
2014-09-09 - Kai Wegner MdB - 7002.jpg
2021-09-26 Abgeordnetenhauswahlabend SPD Berlin by Sandro Halank–030.jpg
Pressefoto Bettina-Jarasch 2014.jpg
Candidate Kai Wegner Franziska Giffey Bettina Jarasch
Party CDU SPD Greens
Last election 30 seats, 18.0% 36 seats, 21.4% 32 seats, 18.9%
Seats won 52 34 34
Seat change Increase 22 Decrease 2 Increase 2
Popular vote 428,228 279,017 278,964
Percentage 28.2% 18.4% 18.4%
Swing Increase 10.2pp Decrease 3.0pp Decrease 0.5pp

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
2017-11-16 Klaus Lederer (Wiki Loves Parliaments 2017 in Berlin) by Sandro Halank.jpg
Kristin_Brinker,_AfD_(Martin_Rulsch)_2017-11-16.jpg
Portrait Sebastian Czaja.jpg
Candidate Klaus Lederer Kristin Brinker Sebastian Czaja
Party Left AfD FDP
Last election 24 seats, 14.1% 13 seats, 8.0% 12 seats, 7.1%
Seats won 22 17 0
Seat change Decrease 2 Increase 4 Decrease 12
Popular vote 185,119 137,871 70,416
Percentage 12.2% 9.1% 4.6%
Swing Decrease 1.9pp Increase 1.1pp Decrease 2.5pp

Results for single-member constituencies.

Government before election

Giffey senate
SPDGreenLeft

Elected Government

Wegner senate
CDUSPD

The 2023 Berlin repeat state election was held on 12 February 2023 to once again elect the 19th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin as the 2021 Berlin state election held on 26 September 2021 was declared invalid due to irregularities. Also affected were parts of the 2021 German federal election in Berlin, these were repeated on 11 February 2024.

On 16 November 2022, the Constitutional Court of the State of Berlin declared the state election results invalid due to numerous irregularities and ordered a repeat election within 90 days.[1][2] A decision by the Federal Constitutional Court regarding five constitutional complaints is still pending but would not be decided until after the repeat election.[3][4] The improperly elected incumbent government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Greens, and The Left led by Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey. Alongside the Abgeordnetenhaus election, the boroughs of Berlin council results were also ruled invalid and repeat elections ordered for the same date.[5]

With 28% of votes, the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) grew by over ten percentage points and emerged as the largest party by a wide margin, the first time it had done so since the 1999 Berlin state election. All three governing parties declined; the SPD suffered its worst result in over a century with 18.4%, and only barely remained ahead of the Greens by a margin of 53 votes. The Left also slipped to 12%. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) recorded a small upswing to 9%, while the Free Democratic Party (FDP) fell to 4.6% and lost all their seats. Overall, the incumbent government retained a reduced majority. The CDU claimed a mandate to govern given its first-place result, while mayor Giffey committed to remaining in government. The Left called for a renewal of the outgoing coalition.[6] After various talks between parties, the SPD and CDU voted at the beginning of March to begin negotiations for a grand coalition. CDU leader Kai Wegner was approved as mayor on 27 April after three rounds of voting.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Berlin state elections declared void". Deutsche Welle. 16 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Verfassungsgerichtshof des Landes Berlin erklärt die Wahlen zum 19. Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus und den Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen vom 26. September 2021 für ungültig" (in German). 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  3. ^ Christian Rath (6 January 2023), "Nach dem Berliner Wahlchaos: Karlsruhe hat die Wahl", Die Tageszeitung: Taz, ISSN 0931-9085, retrieved 6 January 2023
  4. ^ Pressemitteilung Nr. 13/2023 des Bundesverfassungsgerichts zum Beschluss mit dem Az. 2 BvR 2189/22
  5. ^ "Das sollten Sie zu den Wahlwiederholungen in Berlin wissen". Rbb24.de (in German). Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Berlin: Conservatives projected to win repeated vote". Deutsche Welle. 13 February 2023.
  7. ^ "CDU board votes for coalition negotiations with SPD". Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (in German). 2 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Ex-insurance salesman elected unlikely mayor of Berlin". France 24. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.