Coerced merger of Communists (KPD) and SPD in 1946 created Socialist Unity Party (SED), but only in the Soviet Zone of Occupation. (2) 
The leaders of the Socialist Unity Party thought they could use 1946 Berlin elections to demonstrate its democratic support among the German people (3)
The SED targeted female voters with promises of equal pay for equal work and recent German refugees from the East with promises of resettlement (4)
The SPD also sought to target socialist voters tempted to vote for the new SED in the 1946 Berlin elections (5)
But SPD also promoted itself as the anti-totalitarian party – “Never again war! Never again Dictatorship!” (7)
Results of 1946 Berlin election: SED routed 48.7% SPD, CDU 22.2%, SED 19.8%, LDP 9.3% - turnout is over 92%. (7)
Because of loss in 1946, SED leadership abandoned efforts to gain legitimacy through competitive elections. The next open elections in all of Berlin would not occur until 1990. (8)
The SED blamed their loss, in part, on the SPD slogan "No Socialism without Human Rights!" - in response, the SED decided to develop its own conception of a socialist human rights. (9)
You can read more about the struggle over the idea of human rights in 1946 between the Social Democrats and the SED in my forthcoming book:
