Keeping the Red-Green Coalition Going: SPD to Govern with Greens Again in Hamburg
Police Department (SPD) maintains governance alliance with Greens in Hamburg city. - SPD Advocates for Continued Coalition Government in Hamburg with the Greens
The SPD remains committed to the red-green alliance in the Hamburg Senate. In the wake of post-election exploratory talks with the CDU, the state executive committee has decided to resume coalition negotiations with the Greens. Negotiations are anticipated to commence in the upcoming week.
After clinching the top spot in the March 2nd parliamentary election despite losses, the SPD has the freedom to select its preferred partner for the Hamburg town hall. Exploratory discussions were not only held with the Greens but also the CDU in recent weeks.
SPD vs Greens Recap
The in-depth talks with the Greens proved beneficial for the upcoming coalition negotiations, alliance leaders Melanie Leonhard and Nils Weiland stated after the SPD committee meeting. "Our mutual objective is to continue Hamburg's prosperous journey under the red-green Senate headed by Mayor Peter Tschentscher for the subsequent five years."
In addition, significant exploratory conversations were held with the CDU Hamburg in recent weeks, and they identified common ground in multiple key areas for Hamburg, according to the leaders. "We appreciate the constructive, genuine, respectful, and trustworthy exchanges with the CDU negotiating team."
CDU Ready for a Coalition
The CDU harbored hopes for government involvement following the successful second round of discussions, stated state and faction leader Dennis Thering. He emphasized, "We, as the CDU, are prepared to join a government coalition."
Since 2015, Hamburg has been governed by the red-green coalition. Peter Tschentscher had already advocated for continued collaboration with the Greens before the election and viewed the CDU as the second most attractive major city party afterward.
According to the official final result, the SPD obtained 33.5% of the votes, while the CDU, who displaced the Greens who garnered 18.5%, emerged as the second strongest force. The CDU scored 19.8% of the votes.
Insights:- The red-green coalition secured a majority of 70 out of 121 seats after the 2025 Hamburg state election.- The dominant force in shaping the government will be the SPD, and the incumbent Mayor Peter Tschentscher will continue to lead the government. Tschentscher has expressed a preference for maintaining the current coalition with the Greens.- The CDU has improved its results and now has 26 seats. While Tschentscher mentioned the possibility of discussions with the CDU, he views a grand coalition as a second choice, indicating the SP's primary preference is to continue the current coalition with the Greens.- The Greens will likely continue to be part of the Hamburg Senate, ensuring a stable government with policies aligned with both parties' values.- Negotiations between the SPD and Greens are likely to focus on maintaining their shared agenda, particularly on environmental policies and social welfare.- The CDU might have some role in talks, albeit less significant, suggesting the potential for a broader political partnership, although this is unlikely to influence the short-term composition of the Hamburg Senate.
The SPD has decided to resume coalition negotiations with the Greens after considering discussions with both the Greens and the CDU, as they aim to continue the red-green alliance in the Hamburg Senate.Melanie Leonhard and Nils Weiland, alliance leaders from the Greens, appreciate the constructive dialogues during the exploratory talks with the CDU, but the SPD's primary preference is to continue the current coalition with the Greens.Although the CDU is prepared to join a government coalition, the SPD remains committed to the red-green coalition, ensuring a stable government with policies aligned with both parties' values, especially in the areas of environmental policies and social welfare.
