Berlin voters express discontent with chaotic status quo
The city of Berlin has held a court-ordered rerun of a chaotic 2021 state election that was marred by severe glitches at many polling stations
BERLIN (AP) — The city of Berlin on Sunday held a court-ordered rerun of a chaotic 2021 state election that was marred by severe glitches at many polling stations and hours-long lines as some polling places ran out of ballot papers or received ones for the wrong district.
Projections showed the center-right Christian Democrats ahead with 27.8% of the vote, followed by the Greens with 18.8%, and the Social Democrats with 18.7%, according to public broadcaster ARD. The final results, along with coalition negotiations, will determine who serves as the mayor and state senators of Germany's capital.
Berliners have long been frustrated by the city's notoriously dysfunctional administration, which has defied cliches of German efficiency for years and made it the laughing stock of the rest of the country.
If the final results mirror the projections, it would be the first time in more than two decades that the center-right Christian Democratic Union emerged as the strongest party in Berlin. Kai Wegner, the party's top candidate, thanked Berliners for their votes and promised that “we will make Berlin work again.”
