Elif Eralp is on course to become Berlin’s next governing mayor after The Left party won the most votes in the city-state’s election, in a result that could make her the first woman of colour and the first mayor of Turkish descent to hold the office.
The party must still secure coalition partners and a majority in Berlin’s House of Representatives, which elects the governing mayor. If successful, Eralp would also be the first candidate from The Left to lead the German capital since reunification in 1990.
Her victory follows a campaign centred on affordable housing, rent controls and greater political participation for immigrants and refugees. The far-right Alternative for Germany came third, despite winning in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks earlier.
Martin Fuchs, a German political and digital consultant, said the result reflected “a strong desire for disruption and radical political change”. He said it also showed that Germany was not only experiencing a rise in far-right parties, but that “there continues to be a colourful, diverse, open and liberal Germany”.
Elif Eralp’s pledge for a ‘solidarity city’
Eralp was born in Munich to Turkish socialists and trade unionists who fled the 1980 military coup in Turkey. Her parents took her to political demonstrations as a child, and she began campaigning herself at the age of 10 by making hand-painted environmental posters with friends in her family’s garage.
She joined The Left in 2017 and has represented Berlin in its House of Representatives since 2021. She became deputy chair of the party’s parliamentary group in 2024, following a legal career that included more than a decade as an adviser to The Left.
The daughter of refugees has campaigned extensively on migrant rights. She previously interned with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and co-founded a migrant rights network within the party.
Her proposal to make Berlin a “solidarity city” would aim to create a more welcoming environment for refugees, end what she calls “stigmatising police checks” and improve immigrants’ participation in civil society.
She has also called for a nationwide rent cap and for more homes to be brought into municipal ownership. In her victory speech, she said: “I stand for a social policy – a policy that brings everyone along. And the priority now is making Berlin affordable.”
Edward Goodger, a politics lecturer at the University of Manchester who studies the left and populism, said an Eralp-led administration could become a prominent force for radical-left politics in Germany.
‘Germany’s Mamdani’ campaign
Eralp’s campaign drew comparisons with Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayor whose democratic socialist message focused on social injustice and the affordability of major cities. Some members of The Left travelled to New York to study his campaign and meet his advisers.
Fuchs said Eralp used highly polished social-media content modelled on Mamdani’s campaign to connect with the everyday experiences of Berliners. She was the most visible candidate online, recording 6.3 million views across platforms, according to the analytics platform viral.app.
Gero Neugebauer, a professor of political science at the Free University of Berlin, said Eralp’s background suited a city that has been home to immigrant communities since the 1960s.
“Eralp has Turkish parents, was born in Munich and holds both German and Turkish citizenship,” he said. Her taking office, he added, would confirm the slogan: “Look, this is Berlin.”
The challenge of forming a government
The immediate task for The Left will be to negotiate a governing alliance. Even if Eralp reaches the mayor’s office, some of her housing pledges could face opposition from the business community and lengthy legal challenges.
Neugebauer said those disputes could develop into a conflict between Germany’s federal government and Berlin’s state administration. Fuchs also said the party would need to distance itself from accusations of anti-Semitism.
Goodger said the Berlin result reflected a broader pattern of voters turning away from established mainstream parties, with dissatisfaction being channelled towards both radical-left and radical-right challengers.
