Ballot no. 2
SPD
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Standing statewide
About the party
The SPD grew out of the 19th-century labour movement and stands for social justice, equality and European cooperation. In West Berlin it provided the Governing Mayor almost continuously from 1950 to 1981, and it has been part of every Berlin state government since 1989 — eleven of the city’s sixteen post-war Governing Mayors came from its ranks. Since 2023 it has been the junior partner in a CDU-led coalition.
A neutral three-sentence summary, in the same format for every party, of the profile published by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb). Read the full profile: bpb profile for Berlin 2026 ↗ · bpb: Parties in Germany ↗
Lead candidate(s)
Source: Press reporting (ZDF, t-online, Sept 2026); confirmed as approved candidates in Amtsblatt Nr. 36.
Result in 2023
18.4% of second votes (279,017 votes)
Source: Landeswahlleiterin Berlin, 12 Feb 2023 · Data as of 2026-09-11
On the 2026 ballot
78 direct candidates · 102 on district lists · 0 on the state list · 436 on BVV lists
Positions by theme
The same six themes and the same template as on the Berlin-agenda page: the party’s own chapter title, a neutral summary of that chapter, and a link into the original.
Housing & rent
All parties on this theme →Mehr Wohnungen für Berlin ↗p. 17–22
Build and regulate at the same time: 100,000 new homes in 2026–2031 (10,000 a year on average) with more than half from city-owned, cooperative and non-profit builders, a 50% social-housing quota in private projects, a two-year limit on zoning plans and a vacancy tax plus building orders for idle land. Turns the rent-check office into a Berlin rent authority with prosecutors, tightens the holiday-let ban and, on the federal side, seeks a legally secure Mietendeckel and an unlimited rent brake. Tempelhofer Feld stays as it is — no housing on the edge while other land is unused.
Transport & mobility
All parties on this theme →Sichere Mobilität für alle Berliner*innen ↗p. 24–27
Backs the Mobility Act and alternatives to the car: a stop within 300–400 m of every home and school, at least a 10-minute frequency city-wide, more bus lanes, tram extensions in every district (Turmstraße–Tegel, Warschauer Straße–Hermannplatz, Alexanderplatz–Kulturforum), continuing the U3, U7 and U8 extensions and planning a U-Bahn from Alexanderplatz to Hohenschönhausen. No further A100 construction; expand parking management with higher resident-permit fees and Scan-Cars; Tempo 30 around schools and kitas; Deutschlandticket back to €49; the S-Bahn remains one unit.
Migration & participation
All parties on this theme →Zusammenhalt in der Einwanderungsmetropole ↗p. 51–53
Berlin stands by the right to asylum and would implement the EU reform (GEAS) in line with human rights; wants state admission programmes, a new "Chancenaufenthaltsrecht" and lane-changing for rejected asylum seekers who work. Returns prioritised for serious offenders and extremists, otherwise voluntary return with support. Explicitly rejects the payment card and curfews for refugees, wants a City-ID for undocumented people, faster recognition of foreign qualifications, more naturalisations through the Einbürgerungszentrum, and decentralised housing instead of emergency shelters.
Schutz und Sicherheit für Stadt und Menschen ↗p. 29–33
"Prevention before harshness": a well-equipped, respectful police that reflects the city, community policing, more foot and bike patrols and more staffed U- and S-Bahn stations, plus a renovation programme for police and fire stations. Keeps the ban on racial profiling, limits suspicion-independent checks to a minimum, wants parliamentary review of "crime-burdened places", weapons-ban zones as the exception, case-by-case scrutiny of AI and a clear no to Palantir-type software. Supports an AfD ban application, a state security council for critical infrastructure, systematic risk analysis against femicide and more women's shelters.
Climate & energy
All parties on this theme →Verantwortung durch Klimaschutz und Energiewende ↗p. 59–60
Climate neutrality "before 2045" via three levers: fossil-free transport, replacing fossil heating in buildings, and transforming the power and heat plants — all through the city-owned utilities and a climate pact with them. District heating expanded by the public BEW with transparent prices; a hydrogen core grid for large consumers only; long-term buy-back of GASAG; 25% of Berlin-generated electricity from solar by 2035 via the Masterplan Solarcity; low-income households not to bear extra costs.
Education
All parties on this theme →Schule, berufliche Bildung, lebenslanges Lernen ↗p. 39–42
The Gemeinschaftsschule is "the school model of the future": double their number, keep six-year primary school, reject more grundständige Gymnasien, and end the current Probeunterricht in favour of a clearer admission procedure. Every school alone or in a network should offer an Abitur route. Inclusion into mainstream schools with a binding 10-year plan, a school social worker at every school, class-size relief where needs are high, slimmer curricula and no new subjects, a phone ban in all primary schools, a Rahmenlehrplan Digitales, and continuing the school-building offensive with a shift to renovation.
Summaries written 2026-09-11 in neutral wording from the documents linked in each row. They are not the parties’ own texts.
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