New traffic light coalition in Hamburg-Mitte: A year of struggle and unity!

New traffic light coalition in Hamburg-Mitte: A year of struggle and unity!

On June 13, 2025, the new coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP was presented in the Hamburg-Mitte district. This political cooperation took a whole year and is impressive in its ambitions and objectives. NDR reports that the formation of the coalition was not entirely without hurdles. The SPD and the Greens in particular had to leave old conflicts behind them. In particular, the scandal six years ago, in which two Green MPs were falsely linked to Islamists, caused unrest. This incident led to internal tensions and some Greens switching to the SPD, weakening the Green majority in the district.

The new government is now setting clear priorities in its agenda: urban and social space development, mobility, security and reducing bureaucracy are at the top of the list. A special lighthouse project is the Horner Geest, which is intended to create an improved connection to the U4 and a model district with short distances. All important facilities should be accessible in a maximum of ten minutes.

Election results and seat distribution

The district elections in June 2024 gave the SPD first place with 28.5 percent, while the Greens were able to maintain their position as the second strongest force with a loss of 8.3 percent to 21.0 percent. A look back at the election also shows the balance of power: The CDU achieved 15.6 percent, followed by the Left with 14.8 percent, the AfD with 10.2 percent and the FDP with 4.8 percent. New German highlights that the new coalition can claim a total of 27 out of 51 seats in the district, while voter turnout was just 51.3 percent, the lowest among all Hamburg districts. Therefore, around 300,000 people in the Hamburg-Mitte district live in a politically turbulent environment.

The mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher (SPD), retained his office despite losses, and Katharina Fegebank from the Greens led her party through the political convolutions of this time with a certain melancholy. How World reports, it is a major challenge for the Greens to distance themselves from the federal party's potential left-wing orientation. Although dialogue between the parties continues, it is clear that new alliances urgently need to be forged.

Common goals and challenges

The coalition partners have agreed on several common goals and are particularly committed to affordable housing, strengthening the local economy and a balanced transport policy. The Greens emphasize that there is a “great opportunity” for dialogue in order to achieve a sustainable mobility transition and climate-friendly urban development.

The coming months will show how stable this new coalition will be and whether it can meet the challenges posed by the security debate surrounding the central station and other issues. After such an important step in the political landscape of Hamburg, the motto is now: “The cards have been reshuffled – let’s see what that brings!”