Overview
- The Berlin branch of Die Linke held a special party congress and approved starting formal coalition talks with the SPD and the Greens while delegates gave strong public backing to lead candidate Elif Eralp.
- Elif Eralp faced threats after a recent Spiegel report and stood under police protection at the congress, but delegates responded with loud applause and chants in a show of internal unity.
- The three parties’ Sondierungspapier centers on invoking Article 15 of the Basic Law to transfer roughly 160,000 apartments from five large landlords into collective or public ownership with compensation.
- The federal 'black-red' government and major business associations have publicly opposed the Article 15 plan and signaled moves to block it with new legislation, setting up a likely legal and political clash.
- If talks proceed, the coalition negotiations will test how the parties defend the housing plan, manage the antisemitism and security controversy, and handle national fallout that could affect public support and future legal fights.