CDU narrowly leads Berlin election poll as four parties remain closely matched

Berlin’s election campaign is heading into its final weeks with four parties packed tightly together. An Infratest dimap poll puts the CDU slightly ahead at about 21%, followed by the Left at 19% and the Greens and AfD at 18% each.

The SPD stands at 11%, while the BSW reaches 4%. Those figures rule out a two-party coalition. Possible three-party combinations include the CDU, Greens and SPD, or the Left, Greens and SPD. Berlin is currently governed by a CDU-SPD coalition.

No candidate emerged as a clear favorite in the question asking whom voters would most like to appoint as Governing Mayor in a direct election. Fifty-four percent either could not answer or gave no response. CDU candidate Stefan Evers and Left politician Elif Eralp each received 13%. SPD candidate Steffen Krach had 9%, AfD candidate Kristin Brinker 7%, and Green candidate Werner Graf 4%.

Housing dominated the issues cited by respondents. Thirty-two percent named housing and rents as Berlin’s most pressing political problem, far ahead of other concerns. Traffic and mobility ranked first for 8%, while refugees and immigration reached 10% and internal security and crime 9%.

The poll questioned 1,279 people by telephone and online between Aug. 27 and 31. The election for Berlin’s state parliament will take place on Sept. 20. The figures reflect views at the time of the survey and are not a prediction of the result.