Berliners cast their referendum votes on whether to nationalize thousands of housing units owned by real estate giants. After counting all votes, over

Germany: Berlin locals vote to expropriate real estate giants

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2021-09-27 22:00:06

Berliners cast their referendum votes on whether to nationalize thousands of housing units owned by real estate giants. After counting all votes, over 56% voted in favor of the measure.

The referendum vote came after Germany's constitutional court overturned an attempt by left-leaning parties to impose a rent cap in the German capital

Voters in the German capital, Berlin, alongside casting ballots for the makeup of the new German parliament and for their local legislature, also took part in a referendum on whether to force large real estate companies to sell off most of their housing units.

With Berliners casting more votes in a day than the city ever had, there was chaos and delays at several polling stations. About 34,000 helpers were working at more than 2,250 polling stations across the city.

The measure required a simple majority to pass as well as a "yes" vote from at least a quarter of all eligible voters, but, even if it does pass, that would only force the incoming Berlin city-state government to debate the proposal.