Overview
- The party plans to confirm Krach at a Saturday congress, with state chair Martin Hikel predicting a smooth meeting after what he called constructive debates at the Landesverband.
- Krach currently serves as Hannover regional president and previously was Berlin’s state secretary for science, and he faces a name-recognition challenge in the capital.
- A Civey poll reported in mid-September by the Tagesspiegel put the Berlin SPD at 13 percent, well below its already weak 18.4 percent result in the 2023 election.
- Factional disputes persist over coalition strategy and social policy priorities, with differing views among leaders on measures such as free school meals and daycare fees.
- In Neukölln, Hikel said he will not seek another term as district mayor after winning only 68.5 percent in a local vote, and Franziska Giffey missed the district list but was nominated for a direct mandate.