It was formed after the 2016 Berlin state election by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), The Left (LINKE) and Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE).

The election took place on 18 September 2016, and resulted in significant losses for both governing parties.

As a result of their losses, the SPD and CDU fell short of a majority, bringing the grand coalition to an end.

[2] On 26 September, Müller announced that he would seek exploratory talks between the SPD, Left, and Greens.

[6] The Abgeordnetenhaus elected Müller as Governing Mayor on 8 December, winning 88 votes out of 158 cast.