Berlin's election map shows new divides and old borders

This is a translation of the German original: Berlins Wahlkarte zeigt neue Brüche und alte Grenzen

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The audio is the German original — listen along while you read.

The new Berlin election results show a complicated picture. It is not just about the inner city versus the outskirts. There are strong differences between the area inside the S-Bahn ring and the outer districts. The ring is the railway line around the inner city. But the old east-west border also remains visible. In the west of the outer city, the CDU is often ahead. In the east, the AfD often wins. Age, education, gender, and place of residence also play a role.

The biggest change affects Die Linke. It has made strong gains in the center and now reaches more areas than before. Its influence extends westward into parts of Charlottenburg and Spandau. To the east, it reaches into the north of Treptow-Köpenick. In all electoral districts and postal voting areas, it received more votes. The increase was especially strong in Graefekiez. This success mainly hurts Die Grünen. In Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Nord-Neukölln, they often lost more than ten percentage points. Around Ostkreuz, their share fell especially sharply.

At the same time, the AfD gained support in almost the whole city, but very unevenly. It remains strongest in eastern outer districts such as Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Lichtenberg, and parts of Treptow-Köpenick. It also won votes in Spandau and in some places near the ring. In the inner city, it mostly stayed below 20 percent. Large blue areas on the map can be misleading. That is because in some of these places, comparatively few people live. The CDU remains strong in many western outer districts, also in wealthy Grunewald. But it loses votes where the AfD is growing especially strongly.

The SPD is hardly still visible as the strongest party. Only a few neighborhoods, meaning small city districts, are still shaped by it. Die Grünen are losing ground in the center, but are holding up better outside the ring. On the outskirts, they are gaining in some specific places. As a result, their decline in Berlin is smaller. The BSW, the party of Sahra Wagenknecht, remains below the five-percent threshold for entering parliament. In the east, the BSW reaches its best results. Overall, the election shows that the political fringes are becoming stronger, while the traditional center is losing its profile.

Vocabulary

• Wahlergebnisse - election results - The results of an election.
• Stadtrand - outskirts; edge of the city - The outer area of a city.
• Ost-West-Grenze - east-west border; east-west divide - A separation between an eastern and a western area.
• spielen eine Rolle - play a role; matter - Are important or have an influence.
• Wahlkreisen - electoral districts; constituencies - Areas where voters cast their votes.
• Zuwachs - increase; growth - Something becomes more or larger.
• Fünf-Prozent-Grenze - five-percent threshold - The minimum share of votes needed to enter parliament.