Berlin elections 2026

Die Linke won 25.7% in Berlin, roughly doubling its 2023 vote. The SPD fell to 12.1%, the Greens to 14.3% and the CDU to 18.8%, while the AfD rose to 16.3%. So the story here is that both Die Linke and the AfD gained substantially while the traditional parties of the broad political centre lost ground.

Now it isn't difficult to understand why Die Linke did so well. Berlin has a genuine and measurable housing crisis. The city's own estimate says another 211,000 homes will be needed between 2026 and 2040. Die Linke made housing the centre of its campaign and was clearly seen as the strongest party on the issue, particularly among younger voters. Its proposed solutions include much more public housing, stronger rent controls and the socialisation of large private housing companies, meaning compulsory transfer into public ownership with compensation. Building new affordable public housing actually increases supply, but purchasing existing apartments would cost many billions in compensation and raises an obvious opportunity-cost question: how many new apartments, schools or transport projects could be built with the same money? Interestingly, although 57.6% backed socialisation in the 2021 referendum, only 37% supported it in the latest polling and 51% opposed it. So the election result shouldn't be read as blanket approval for every part of Die Linke's programme.

Both Die Linke and the SPD support stronger tenant protection, more social housing, progressive taxation and a strong welfare state, but their underlying philosophies differ. The SPD remains fundamentally social democratic: regulate capitalism and use a mixed economy to serve social goals. Die Linke comes from a democratic-socialist tradition and is much more willing to take essential goods and services out of private markets altogether. Their differences become larger still at federal level, particularly on defence, Ukraine and immigration: The SPD supports higher defence spending and continued military assistance to Ukraine, whereas Die Linke opposes further military build-up and weapons deliveries to war zones; on immigration, Die Linke favours much broader residence rights and opposes deportations.

Berlin is young, urban and renter-heavy. The election results there follow a broader pattern we've seen elsewhere. Increasing numbers of voters are abandoning mainstream parties they associate with failing to solve problems they experience directly, and turning instead to parties promising much more substantial change. And it isn't as though Berliners haven't tried the established parties first. Over the past 15 years they have repeatedly elected governments led by the SPD and, more recently, the CDU, while the housing crisis has continued to get worse. (To be fair, Die Linke itself was also in government from 2016 to 2023, so it cannot entirely claim outsider status either.) There's no surprise here really. This is what happens when obvious problems remain unresolved through successive governments and are just left to fester. Voters will start looking elsewhere for solutions. Whether the alternatives they now choose can actually deliver the changes they expect is a different kettle of fish.

(Sources: official Berlin election results; Berlin Senate housing planning; Infratest dimap/ARD, September 2026.)