House of Representatives election: who rules Berlin best

Election in Berlin: top politicians of the parties discuss at a round of Berliner Morgenpost and Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

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Berlin. Even if the result of the election of the Berlin House of Representatives on September 26th has not yet been determined, it is certain that Berlin will be ruled by a new Governing Mayor. Incumbent Michael Müller (SPD) is drawn to the Bundestag. According to the polls, there is a head-to-head race between the Greens, the CDU and the SPD, who are almost on a par.

So what are the positions of the parties who want to steer the future of the city? In addition, the Berliner Morgenpost, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, invited the top candidates and top politicians to an elephant round on the most important topics.

Right at the beginning of the discussion it became clear what the dominant topic will be until the election: the housing and rent policy in the city. Although there is currently more construction going on than it has been in a long time, the red-red-green state government clearly missed the goals it had set itself. The top politicians in the Senate also admitted this, but referred to the initiatives that had been launched.

Election in Berlin: All parties want more residential construction

“More apartments will only be built if everyone pulls together,” said SPD top candidate Franziska Giffey. It strives for a collaboration between private, state-owned and cooperative investors. Alliances had to be formed and hurdles removed. “Housing construction will be a matter for the bosses,” announced Giffey, should she move into the Red City Hall.

For the Greens, it is important not only to increase the pace of construction, but also to oblige investors to build more for the common good. “The housing market is out of joint,” said Green top candidate Bettina Jarasch. As important as the new building is, the existing one is just as important. “The social question is solved in the existing building.”

That is why she defended the introduction of the rent cap, which was an emergency brake against sharply rising rental prices. Now the federal government would have to bring appropriate regulations in motion so that a limit on rent levels would be possible.

The left also demands that. Red-red-green have laid the first foundations for the new building, which is now in motion, said left parliamentary group leader Carsten Schatz, who took part in the discussion for top candidate Klaus Lederer. “The September 26 election will be a rental election,” said Schatz.

Only the left is for the expropriation of real estate companies

FDP top candidate Sebastian Czaja agreed: “That will be a choice of direction for the question, do we want class struggle or factual politics.” “The tenants are insecure, that has not gotten better in the past five years,” said Wegner.

Schatz did not want to leave that uncommented. If landlords put a pistol on the chests of tenants and repeatedly demanded rent increases, it is indeed class war. The Left is the only party to support the popular initiative that has just started to expropriate large real estate companies.

When it comes to future mobility, too, the boundaries between the parties are sharp, albeit in a different constellation. While the Greens are relying on a quick renovation of the city center, which should be emission-free by 2030, the top candidates from the SPD, CDU and FDP emphasized that they want to give all road users their space. Bettina Jarasch doubted this possibility. “The egg-laying wool milk sow does not work,” said the top candidate. There is not enough public space available to make everything possible for everyone.

Expensive subway extension against rapid tram construction

While the SPD in the current state government supports the path of the rapid traffic turnaround, Franziska Giffey wants to proceed much more moderately in the future. She is against a car-free city center and a city toll. While the CDU is in favor of the massive expansion of the subway network, the Left is relying on the tram. This can be implemented faster than the expensive and tedious construction of new subways.

“If you want subways, you don’t have to be against trams or bike paths,” Wegner replied. He relies on offers instead of bans and re-education. “The traffic jam begins in the Red Town Hall,” said Czaja, criticizing the slow expansion of local public transport under red-red-green, which is a priority for the FDP.

Here, too, Wegner accused the incumbent Senate of having divided the city and playing off road users against each other. This has led to an increase in aggressiveness in road traffic.

Franziska Giffey defends SPD education policy

All top politicians agreed that education should be a priority topic for the next five years and that digitalization should be promoted here. School equipment also needs to be improved.

Giffey defended the education policy of the SPD, which has been responsible for education in Berlin for the past 25 years, against the allegations that Berlin is still regularly in last place in country comparisons. In contrast to many other federal states, all-day lessons are the rule here, school meals are free, and there is a student ticket.

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