Central Council of Jews urges Berlin Greens and SPD to block Die Linke coalition after election lead

Election projections and coalition options

Projections broadcast by German public television networks ARD and ZDF on 20 September 2026 placed Die Linke in first place in the Berlin state parliamentary election, securing between 24.5% and 26.0% of the vote. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by top candidate Stefan Evers, placed second with 20.0%. The projected outcome enables Die Linke's lead candidate, Eralp, to seek the post of governing mayor in Berlin's Rotes Rathaus. With no single party holding an absolute majority in the Berlin House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), establishing a governing majority requires multi-party negotiations involving the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Alliance 90/The Greens. The Greens hold a pivotal position, as their participation is required to secure a parliamentary majority for a left-wing senate.

Central Council reaction to campaign conduct

Following the release of Sunday's vote forecasts, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, issued an official statement opposing Die Linke's entry into the Berlin state government. Schuster referred to repeated incidents during the election campaign where antisemitic remarks were made on party stages. He stated that campaign appearances included calls for an intifada and the death of Israeli soldiers, while members of the crowd sang and danced along. Schuster criticized party leadership for failing to enact any political or personnel consequences following these events.

The fact that a party on whose campaign stage the death of people was openly demanded emerges as the winner of the election deeply alarms me.

Schuster appealed directly to the leadership of both the SPD and the Greens to block Die Linke from entering city hall. He stated that Die Linke lacks credibility in the fight against hatred of Jewish people because it tolerates such positions within its membership. Schuster warned that stepping over red lines drawn prior to the election would represent a severe mistake that accelerates the normalization of antisemitism in German public discourse.

Strategic divisions within the Green party

The election outcome places the Greens under scrutiny over their potential participation in an Eralp-led administration. Polling figures indicate that 55% of Green voters believe antisemitic tendencies occupy far too much room within Die Linke. Focus Online editor-in-chief Florian Festl noted that Green leadership demands for a mere distancing statement from Die Linke would be ineffective, arguing that declarations issued by party executives do not reflect or change the internal culture of the party.

Focus commentator Ulrich Reitz pointed out that Eralp has downplayed antisemitism among party members while failing to establish an enforceable line against it. The controversy also touches upon the Greens' moral positioning, specifically the contrast between negotiating with Die Linke and maintaining an uncompromising firewall against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). The party faces extended internal debates on whether to prioritize government power or uphold its stated liberal-humanist foundations and centrist socioeconomic policy positions as coalition talks begin.