Berlin Green candidate Werner Graf rejects CDU coalition and backs housing socialization

Coalition preferences and campaign approach

With the Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus election scheduled for 20 September 2026, Green lead candidate Werner Graf outlined his conditions for the next state government. In an interview with Der Tagesspiegel, Graf declared that he intends to form a governing alliance with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Die Linke. He explicitly ruled out joining any coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), asserting that the Green party wants to push the CDU into the parliamentary opposition. Graf dismissed suggestions that the Greens have maintained too low a public profile four weeks before the vote, explaining that his campaign prioritizes direct conversations with residents across Berlin over generating loud headlines. He stated that the position of Governing Mayor will go to the candidate whom citizens trust to solve practical issues rather than the one making extreme demands.

I have never made a secret of my preference for an alliance with the SPD and the Left, nor of our desire to send the CDU into opposition.

Polling dynamics and mathematical majorities

Recent public opinion polls indicate a fragmented political landscape in Berlin, making two-party governing coalitions mathematically impossible. In survey data collected by the Forsa institute for the news portal t-online and published on Saturday, 22 August 2026, Die Linke led with 22% of voter support. The CDU and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) followed tied at 18% each, while the Greens secured 16% and the SPD registered 12%. Polling leads have alternated between the CDU, Die Linke, and the AfD in the weeks leading up to the election. Under these distribution figures, only two three-way party combinations command enough parliamentary seats for a majority: an alliance of the CDU, Greens, and SPD, or a three-way coalition uniting Die Linke, the Greens, and the SPD.

Policy disputes with the CDU administration

Graf explained his refusal to partner with the CDU by pointing to sharp disagreements over governance and municipal transport policies. He criticized the CDU-led state government for pursuing backward-oriented measures, specifically citing the dismantling of existing bicycle lanes instead of building new infrastructure, alongside CDU plans to extend the A100 urban motorway. Graf also condemned budgetary spending cuts imposed by the current administration on Berlin's cultural and scientific sectors. Additionally, the Greens pointed to controversy surrounding state funding for antisemitism projects, accusing members of the CDU parliamentary group of exerting unlawful pressure on the cultural administration to release grant notices. The Berlin State Audit Office described the funding allocated to more than a dozen of those projects as evidently illegal.

Housing expropriation and rental market proposals

On urban housing policy, Graf reaffirmed his commitment to socializing large corporate housing portfolios during the upcoming legislative term. He acknowledged that Berlin would have to take on borrowing to finance the expropriations, but argued that the state would obtain substantial real estate assets in return. Graf maintained that the private real estate firms targeted for takeover currently distribute considerable corporate earnings, meaning the state would generate regular revenue through incoming rental payments. He also emphasized that he does not want landlords operating in Berlin who fail to abide by the law. Because formal socialization requires administrative time, Graf proposed accompanying measures, including the enactment of an Affordable Rents Act and the conversion of commercial office buildings into residential living units.

The companies we would take over are currently distributing substantial profits.