Welt says „Wahlintifada“, Svenska Dagbladet says „medvind“, taz says a quarter of Berliners cannot vote

Berlin voted on Sunday for its Abgeordnetenhaus, and on the same ballot for its district assemblies. We hold seven reports, all filed while polling was still open. The election is one event; the campaign they describe is four different campaigns.

Outlet	What the election is about	Attributed?
Welt	An Instagram post by Basem Said, sixth on Die Linke's Neukölln district list, calling for a „Wahlintifada“ — carried twice, once under a turnout headline	The post is quoted in full
Welt, political editor	Stefan Evers is the only reason there is a „Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit der Linken“ at all	To the paper's own editor, not an outside source
Svenska Dagbladet	„Vänsterpartiet Die Linke har medvind“	Stated flat
Frankfurter Allgemeine	„Eine Lüge, Antisemitismus und Ermittlungen“ — trouble in the CDU, SPD and Die Linke, each dated	Yes, and „Es gilt die Unschuldsvermutung“ for the SPD candidate
taz	„Rund ein Viertel der Berliner*innen über 16 Jahre ist gar nicht stimmberechtigt“	—

Where they agree. Welt and the Frankfurter Allgemeine each report that turnout by midday was higher than at the 2023 election. Neither gives the percentage.

What is not settled. Whether this is a two-horse race at all. Welt's political editor calls it head-to-head; Svenska Dagbladet says the wind is behind Die Linke; no report we hold carries a poll number for any party. The Said post is in Welt alone — no other report we hold mentions it, and none contradicts it. No report we hold carries a result.

What this is about. Berlin is both a city and one of Germany's sixteen federal states. Its state parliament, the Abgeordnetenhaus, is elected for five years and chooses the Regierender Bürgermeister who runs the city. On the same day voters elect the twelve district assemblies, the Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen — Neukölln is one of those districts, which is why a candidate placed sixth on a district list turns up in a story about the state election.

How it got here. The 2023 election was itself a repeat, ordered after Germany's courts annulled the 2021 Berlin vote over failures at the polling stations. It produced a CDU-led government under Kai Wegner. This year's campaign was then rewritten three times over, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine is the one report we hold that dates all three turns. On 10 July Wegner gave up the CDU's lead candidacy, after it became known that he had lied about what he did following the arson attack on Berlin's power grid in early January. The CDU's district chairs proposed the finance senator, Stefan Evers, the same day; he had ten weeks, and the party replanned its campaign from scratch. On 29 August a rapper performing at a Neukölln Die Linke event sang slogans that the paper reports set off a debate about antisemitism inside the party; the lead candidate, Elif Eralp, criticised the event and demanded consequences, and the party opened no internal proceedings. On 9 September police searched the flat of the SPD's lead candidate, Steffen Krach, over an initial suspicion in a land deal. He rejected the accusations and stayed in the race.

Who else is in it. The Greens' lead candidate, Werner Graf, and the AfD's, Kristin Brinker, whom the Frankfurter Allgemeine reports no party will govern with.

What is at stake. Who governs the capital, and whether the CDU keeps the mayoralty it won in 2023.

Where it stands. Polling was still open when every report we hold was filed.

What is being argued about

What the Berlin campaign was about, and how far the four papers disagree
A Neukölln district candidate's „Wahlintifada“ post, carried by one outlet and no other
Whether the race is head-to-head between the CDU and Die Linke, with no poll figure anywhere
The quarter of adult Berliners who are not allowed to vote in it

The three turns that rewrote the Berlin campaignTimeline

2026-07-10— no time published Kai Wegner, Regierender Bürgermeister Gave up the CDU lead candidacy, after it became known he had lied about his actions following the arson attack on Berlin's power grid in early JanuaryFrankfurter Allgemeine
2026-07-10— no time published The CDU district chairs Proposed finance senator Stefan Evers as replacement candidate the same day; he had ten weeks, and the CDU replanned its campaign completely 10 weeksFrankfurter Allgemeine
2026-08-29— no time published A rapper at a Neukölln Die Linke event Sang „Stop the Genocide“ with the slogans „Yalla Yalla Intifada — Westbank, Palästina, Gaza“ and „Death to the IDF“. Lead candidate Elif Eralp criticised the event and demanded consequences; the party opened no internal proceedingsFrankfurter Allgemeine
2026-09-09— no time published Police, acting for the Hannover prosecutors Searched the flat of SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach, the Berlin SPD state office and his former Hannover office, over an initial suspicion of accepting an advantage and breaching confidentiality in a land deal. Krach rejected the accusations and stayed in the race; the presumption of innocence appliesFrankfurter Allgemeine
2026-09-20— no time published Basem Said, sixth on Die Linke's Neukölln district list Called on Instagram for a „Wahlintifada“ and urged a vote for Die Linke, in a post Welt carries twice and no other report we hold mentionsWelt
2026-09-20— no time published Welt and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Both report that turnout by midday was higher than at the 2023 election. Neither gives the percentageWelt; Frankfurter Allgemeine

Dates and events as published by the Frankfurter Allgemeine, except the polling-day post, which only Welt carries. No report we hold gives a time of day for any of these.

Sources

Frankfurter Allgemeine

Welt

Claims and verdicts

true Turnout in Berlin by midday was higher than at the 2023 election.

Welt and the Frankfurter Allgemeine report it separately, the latter in its midday running coverage. Neither gives the percentage, and no report we hold contradicts them.

Checked against 2 sources:

Welt

Frankfurter Allgemeine

unverified A Die Linke candidate in Neukölln called for a "Wahlintifada" on polling day.

Welt carries it twice, quoting an Instagram post by Basem Said, who it says stands sixth on the Neukölln district list. No other report we hold mentions the post, and none contradicts it.

Checked against 2 sources:

Welt

unverified The Berlin election is a head-to-head race between the CDU and Die Linke.

Welt's own political editor says CDU lead candidate Stefan Evers is the only reason the race is close, and Svenska Dagbladet says Die Linke goes in with the wind behind it. No report we hold carries a single poll number for either party.

Checked against 2 sources:

Welt

Svenska Dagbladet

Who wrote it

A Anna Kröning Welt

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Headline and body diverge the headline is turnout and a polling mishap; the body is the same candidate's post, quoted at length×1

Headline vs body headline is turnout and a polling mishap; the body is entirely the same candidate's post×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 unverified1 true

From 12 reports we hold under this byline, at Welt. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

L Leonhard Landes Welt

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Actor unnamed The party figure calling for a confidence vote is given only by title.×1

Evaluation stated flat 'Disastrous' is the report's own word for the results.×1

Gain stated without a figure one party's advance is asserted with no number beside it×1

Headline and body diverge the headline is turnout and a polling mishap; the body is the same candidate's post, quoted at length×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

2 disputed2 unverified3 true

From 53 reports we hold under this byline, at Welt. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

M Maren Osterloh Welt

What the bias passes found in their reporting

What is chosen as the frame the result is framed in advance as one premier's sensation×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 unverified

From 5 reports we hold under this byline, at Welt. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

S Sunny Riedel taz

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Which measure was chosen the report measures the election by who is barred from voting in it×1

Who is counted the only report that counts the residents barred from voting×1

From 3 reports we hold under this byline, at taz. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

U Uta Schleiermacher taz

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Which measure was chosen the report measures the election by who is barred from voting in it×1

Who is counted the only report that counts the residents barred from voting×1

From 13 reports we hold under this byline, at taz. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 4 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

Svenska Dagbladet — independent

Vänstervind i Berlin inför viktigt val

The only report from outside Germany, and the only one saying the wind is behind Die Linke rather than that the race is level.

Vänstervind i Berlin inför viktigt val Vänsterpartiet Die Linkes representant i Berlin, Elif Eralp. Foto: Sebastian Gollnow /AP/TT Vänsterpartiet Die Linke har medvind inför dagens viktiga val i Berlin. I de forna svensktrakterna Mecklenburg-Vorpommern väntas högerextrema gå framåt. TT Vallokalerna öppnade tidigt på söndagen i de val som har stor betydelse för Tysklands framtida inriktning. De 16 förbundsländerna, varav Berlin är ett, har relativt stor självständighet och inflytande i den tyska rikspolitiken. I Berlin har vänsterpartiet Die Linke, med den populäre representanten Elif Eralp, sa

Hedged or flat: a directional claim about the race stated flat, with no poll figure behind it — “Vänsterpartiet Die Linke har medvind inför dagens viktiga val i Berlin.”

Read it at Svenska Dagbladet → https://www.svd.se/a/XMmj6B/vanstervind-i-berlin-infor-viktigt-val?utm_…

Welt — independent

Deutlich höhere Wahlbeteiligung in Berlin – Wahlpanne in Rostock, Bürger stimmen in Bus ab

The only report that quotes the Instagram post in full and places Basem Said sixth on Die Linke's Neukölln district list — under a headline about turnout and a polling mishap in Rostock.

Headline and body diverge: the headline is turnout and a polling mishap; the body is the same candidate's post, quoted at length — “Salam Neukölln. Heute ist eine Wahlintifada.”

Headline vs body: headline is turnout and a polling mishap; the body is entirely the same candidate's post — “hat zusammen mit dem Free-Palestine-Aktivisten Majed Abusalama in einem Instagram-Post zur „Wahlintifada“ aufgerufen.”

Read it at Welt → https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article6aafd698b1857e86757a8482…

Welt — independent

Berliner Linke-Kandidat ruft zur „Wahlintifada“ auf

Makes the same post the whole report, headline and body, on polling day, and adds that Said criticised every other party.

Who is made the subject: a district list candidate, placed sixth, is the whole headline on election day — “Berliner Linke-Kandidat ruft zur „Wahlintifada“ auf”

What is chosen as the story: one candidate's social-media post is the whole report, on polling day — “Kurz vor der Berlin-Wahl wirbt der Neuköllner Linke-Kandidat Basem Said in den sozialen Medien für eine „Wahlintifada“”

Read it at Welt → https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article6aafbae4708e760b5e064fc9…

Welt — independent

„Stefan Evers hat es geschafft, als klare, konservative Stimme aufzutreten“

The paper's own political editor, rather than an outside source, calls Evers the only reason the race is close at all.

„Stefan Evers hat das sehr gut gemacht“, sagt WELT-Politikredakteur Maximilian Heimerzheim über den Berliner CDU-Spitzenkandidaten. Dies sei der einzige Grund, warum es überhaupt zu einem Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit der Linken gekommen sei.

Whose voice is quoted: the assessment of the CDU candidate comes from the outlet's own political editor, not an outside source — “sei der einzige Grund, warum es überhaupt zu einem Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit der Linken gekommen sei”

Whose voice is quoted: the assessment of the centre-right candidate comes from the publication's own political editor — “der CDU-Spitzenkandidat sei der einzige Grund, warum es überhaupt zu einem Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen mit der Linken gekommen sei.”

Read it at Welt → https://www.welt.de/videos/video6aafd49b79d37abec14f1084/berlin-wahl-st…

Welt — independent

Alle Daten und Grafiken zur Abgeordnetenhauswahl im Überblick

Promises every figure and chart on the election and calls it rarely so exciting; the text we hold contains no figure.

Read it at Welt → https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article6a86c7543e2ba7edf221f8b7…

Frankfurter Allgemeine — independent

Deutschland-Liveblog: Wahlbeteiligung in Berlin bis zum Mittag höher als 2023

The only report that dates the trouble in all three main parties — Wegner's withdrawal, the Neukölln rapper, the search of Krach's flat — and the only one that states the presumption of innocence.

Eine Lüge, Antisemitismus und Ermittlungen: Was den Wahlkampf in Berlin geprägt hatDas Wahlergebnis der Berliner Abgeordnetenhauswahl wird auch deshalb mit Spannung erwartet, weil der Wahlkampf der vergangenen Wochen vor allem durch drei ungewöhnliche Ereignisse geprägt war. CDU, SPD und Linkspartei hatten mit großen Herausforderungen zu kämpfen: Am 10. Juli erklärte Berlins Regierender Bürgermeister Kai Wegner, auf die CDU-Spitzenkandidatur zu verzichten. Zuvor war bekannt geworden, dass er über sein Handeln nach dem Brandanschlag auf das Berliner Stromnetz Anfang Januar gelogen hatte. Am sel

Hedge for the accused: the investigation into the SPD candidate is closed with the presumption of innocence stated — “Es gilt die Unschuldsvermutung.”

Symmetric treatment: three parties' troubles are each given a date and an actor who acts — “Am 9. September durchsuchte die Polizei im Auftrag der Staatsanwaltschaft Hannover die Wohnung des SPD-Spitzenkandidaten Steffen Krach”

Hedged symmetrically: the three parties' troubles are dated one by one, and the criminal suspicion is hedged — “Der SPD-Spitzenkandidat wies alle Vorwürfe zurück und hielt an seiner Kandidatur fest. Es gilt die Unschuldsvermutung.”

Read it at Frankfurter Allgemeine → https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/liveticker-bundespolitik-wah…

t taz —

Nichtwahlberechtigte in Berlin: Sie haben keine Wahl

Leaves the contest entirely and counts the Berliners over 16 who are not entitled to vote in it.

A ysel Kılıçs* Augen leuchten, als sie auf ihrem Handy ein Foto von dem Baby zeigt. Vor wenigen Wochen kam ihr erstes Enkelkind auf die Welt. Drei Kinder hat sie in Berlin großgezogen. Zwei Töchter und einen Sohn, alle drei haben ihr Studium abgeschlossen und alle auch die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit, sagt sie. Zusammen mit ihrem Mann hat die türkische Staatsbürgerin im vergangenen Jahr einen Antrag auf Einbürgerung gestellt. Bei ihm habe es gleich geklappt. „Aber mein Antrag ist bisher nicht bearbeitet“, sagt sie. Kılıç darf also am Sonntag bei den Wahlen zum Berliner Abgeordnetenhaus und zu

Which measure was chosen: the report measures the election by who is barred from voting in it — “Rund ein Viertel der Berliner*innen über 16 Jahre ist gar nicht stimmberechtigt.”

Who is counted: the only report that counts the residents barred from voting — “Rund ein Viertel der Berliner*innen über 16 Jahre ist gar nicht stimmberechtigt.”

Read it at taz → https://taz.de/Nicht-Wahlberechtigte-in-Berlin/!6213925/

Checked, didn’t cover

D De Telegraaf P Público D De Standaard

Deník N

El Mundo

Brussels Signal

Dagens Nyheter

Digi24

Efimerida ton Syntakton

Der Standard

Observador

Telex

Rzeczpospolita

Magyar Nemzet

Le Figaro

Politico Europe

HotNews.ro

iDNES.cz / MF DNES

NOS

Gazeta Wyborcza

Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.

We could not read these

ABC

Corriere della Sera

Kathimerini

Le Soir

Die Presse

Il Giornale

Euractiv

Le Monde

El País

la Repubblica

Süddeutsche Zeitung

These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

Read another desk

Sections

Registers

Desks

Welt says „Wahlintifada“, Svenska Dagbladet says „medvind“, taz says a quarter of Berliners cannot vote

What is being argued about

One candidate, or three parties

Horse race, data, or the disenfranchised

Claims and verdicts

Who wrote it

Coverage, outlet by outlet