Left victory in German local elections

By Lisa Macdonald The results of the Berlin City Parliament and Berlin Borough Councils elections held on October 22 mark a significant shift to the left in German politics. Despite a concerted smear campaign by the right wing which attempted to associate left candidates and supporters, especially the Democratic Socialist Party (PDS), with the followers of Hitler, Stalin and Mao, the PDS and Alliance 90/The Greens increased their share of the vote from the last elections in 1990 by 5.4% and 4% respectively. In East Berlin the Alliance won 10% and the PDS 36% of the vote. The PDS thereby consolidated its position as the strongest political party in East Berlin where it received the highest share of the vote in 10 of the 11 boroughs, in some cases out-polling the ruling Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) ministers by more than 20%. In West Berlin the Alliance won 15% and the PDS 2%. While the PDS doubled its 1990 vote in the west, all but two wards were won by the CDU, indicating that the political rift dividing east and west Berlin is still deep. The clear loser in these elections was the government coalition. Together, the CDU and its junior partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) lost 10% or nearly half a million votes. The electorate made its condemnation of the catastrophic conservative policies of the Berlin senate over the last five years clear. For its adaptation to the conservative policies of the CDU, the Social Democrats were punished by electors whose support for them dropped by almost 7% to only 24%. For the first time, the SPD (which under Willy Brandt in the 1960s won absolute majorities in Berlin) now has fewer seats in parliament than Alliance 90/The Greens and the PDS combined. The far right too, suffered a defeat with both the Free Democrats and the neo-fascist Republicans missing out on seats. Following these elections, the neo-nazis will no longer be represented in the Berlin City parliament or any borough council. The PDS contested these elections with the slogan "For another policy, for another Berlin". Post-elections, the PDS says it will continue its work to build a socialist opposition force across the country.