Left party's Hendrikje Klein elected Berlin parliament president with 98 votes

Left candidate takes Berlin parliament presidency

Hendrikje Klein of the Left party was elected president of Berlin's new House of Representatives at the constituent session of the state parliament on Thursday, 29 October. She received 98 votes in a secret ballot, while at least 77 yes votes were required. The Left came first in the election held on 20 September, and the nomination for the post belonged to the strongest faction. Klein succeeds Cornelia Seibeld of the CDU, who held the post from 2023 to 2026. The 153 members sit in five parliamentary groups, and one member sits without a group.

How the vote unfolded

Klein had presented herself to the parliamentary groups on Tuesday, 27 October. Of 149 votes cast, 98 went to her, 42 were against and 9 members abstained. Klein has sat in the House since 2016 and became the Left group's parliamentary business manager in 2024. She won a direct mandate in the Lichtenberg district on 20 September, and personnel and administration are among her specialist areas. The president chairs sittings, heads the presidium and the council of elders, exercises house rights and police powers in parliament, and represents the House externally. Klein was elected for the five-year term of the legislative period.

In her speech, Klein stressed that the office requires impartiality and that she will not tolerate discrimination. She said:

“Berlin and its freely elected parliament have never had it easy.”

Yes98

No42

Abstentions9

Yes

98

No

42

Abstentions

9

Data from the article text

Wansner's call to protect Jewish life

At the opening of the session, age president Kurt Wansner of the CDU warned that many Jewish people in Berlin no longer feel safe, 81 years after the Nazi terror. He said Jewish citizens are attacked on the street, something he had believed would never happen again. He called on all parties, all members of the House and all citizens of the city to resist such developments firmly. He added:

“Because attacks on Jewish people in our city must never be repeated.”

Union threat over possible state governments

Union parliamentary group leaders in Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia have threatened to take possible new state governments to the Federal Constitutional Court. Their statement, seen by dpa, targets a Left-led government in Berlin and an AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt, although neither state has concluded coalition talks. The leaders point to Berlin's exploratory result from the Left, SPD and Greens, citing borrowing beyond the debt brake, a voting right for foreigners they consider unconstitutional, and plans to socialise housing. For Saxony-Anhalt, they point to the AfD's announced plan to abolish compulsory schooling, which they say raises fundamental constitutional questions.

Coalition prospects

The Left wants a coalition with the Greens and the SPD in Berlin. If that succeeds, parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp could become the first Left politician to serve as Berlin's mayor. Coalition talks in Berlin have not yet been concluded, and the Union's warnings were issued while those talks were still open.