Far-left candidate Elif Eralp secures historic lead in Berlin state elections

Berlin's far-left Die Linke party emerged victorious in the Berlin state elections held on September 20, 2026, according to exit polls, positioning its top candidate, Elif Eralp, as the leading contender to become the next governing mayor of Germany's capital city. The landmark electoral success for the democratic socialist party captured roughly 25% of the vote, marking a historic first for Berlin and dealing a setback to the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which finished second with about 20% of the vote.

Ms. Eralp, 45, campaigned heavily on a pro-poor platform aimed at reducing social inequality and curbing the influence of big business. A central pillar of her campaign involved tackling Berlin's severe housing shortage and lowering skyrocketing rents. Among her most discussed policy proposals is a controversial plan to expropriate residential flats held by large corporate landlords.

The daughter of Turkish migrants who fled to Germany in 1980 following a military coup, Ms. Eralp has also framed her candidacy as a crucial barrier against the rising influence of the far-right and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Reflecting on the significance of her background on the eve of the vote, she stated that it would send a powerful signal for someone with a migration background to assume the role of governing mayor of Berlin. Celebrating the exit poll results on Sunday, she declared that love and justice had triumphed over hatred in the city.

Observers have drawn political parallels between Ms. Eralp and Zohran Mamdani, the left-wing outsider who previously won office in New York. Acknowledging the comparison, Ms. Eralp praised the success of a democratic socialist in the heartland of capitalism as a major achievement and a great role model.

Despite securing the most votes, Ms. Eralp faces a complex path to actually forming a government. To secure the mayorship, she must build a governing coalition by convincing other parties, most likely the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens. However, forming a coalition presents substantial hurdles. Steffen Krach, the lead candidate for the SPD, has explicitly voiced opposition to Die Linke's contentious expropriation proposal.

Furthermore, mainstream German parties maintain sharp disagreements with the hard-left party over foreign and security policies. Die Linke opposes military aid for Ukraine and advocates for Germany's withdrawal from NATO. The party has also faced intense scrutiny and criticism over anti-Israeli statements made by certain district-level figures, a deeply sensitive topic in Germany given its historical context.

During the campaign, a scandal erupted in August at a local Die Linke event in Berlin's Neukoelln neighborhood—an area home to many Arab and Muslim immigrants—when a performer chanted slogans calling for an "intifada" and death to the Israel Defense Forces. Although Ms. Eralp quickly distanced herself from the incident, it drew sharp rebukes from the Greens and the SPD, raising ongoing questions about Die Linke's readiness for executive governance.

Despite these controversies, the Greens leaned toward supporting a coalition with Die Linke over joining forces with the conservative CDU. Conversely, the SPD, which has historically maintained strong ties to organized labor and previously broke away from a left-wing coalition after the 2023 election to partner with the CDU, exhibits internal divisions regarding a potential alliance.

Born in Munich, Ms. Eralp studied law in Hamburg and spent years advocating for migrants' rights before joining the staff of Die Linke's parliamentary faction in 2010. She subsequently relocated to Berlin, where she lives with her husband and two children in the Kreuzberg district. She frequently emphasizes that, much like the majority of Berlin's residents, her family rents their home rather than owning property.

Ms. Eralp now faces a critical window of days and weeks to negotiate with prospective coalition partners, demonstrate control over her state party branch, and prove her administration's viability to govern the German capital.