Hendrikje Klein is President of the Berlin House of Representatives

Hendrikje Klein (Die Linke) is delighted to have been elected as the new President of the Berlin House of Representatives at the first plenary session of the new Berlin House of Representatives.

Just under six weeks after the election, the Berlin House of Representatives convened for the first time on October 29, 2026. At that meeting, Hendrikje Klein was elected President by a large majority.

At the constituent sitting of the state parliament, 46-year-old Hendrikje Klein was elected to the post by a large majority. Her predecessor, Cornelia Seibeld of the CDU, is now Vice-President. The AfD candidate for the second vice-presidential post, Martin Trefzer, failed to secure the necessary votes.

Hendrikje Klein received 98 votes

Just under six weeks after the Berlin election, 98 of the 149 members of the state parliament present voted for Klein in a secret ballot. There were 42 votes against and 9 abstentions. Klein is thus the third woman to head the parliament, following Hanna-Renate Laurien (CDU, 1991–1995) and Seibeld (2023–2026). As the largest parliamentary group, Die Linke had the right to nominate a candidate for this important post. Klein, who holds a degree in public administration, has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2016 and therefore has many years of parliamentary experience. She has served as parliamentary secretary to The Left parliamentary group since 2024. Her areas of expertise also included human resources and administration. In the election on 20 September, she won a direct mandate in the Lichtenberg district.

Klein wants to champion a culture of debate

One of the Speaker’s duties is to chair sessions of the House of Representatives. She also chairs the multi-member Presidium and the Council of Elders. Furthermore, she exercises the right to maintain order and police powers within Parliament and represents it externally. Klein was elected for the duration of the five-year parliamentary term. She had introduced herself to the parliamentary groups last Tuesday. In the secret ballot held in the plenary session, she evidently received votes not only from the red-green-red coalition. Klein said she wanted to champion a culture of debate in the House of Representatives. “I want us here in this House to always recognise where the line lies between a passionate struggle for democratic majorities and the deliberate undermining of political culture and democratic institutions.” This also includes respect for women. Klein stated that she would not tolerate the denigration of women through heckling during debates.