Turkish-Origin Elif Eralp Leads Die Linke to Historic Victory in Berlin
Elif Eralp, the German politician born to Turkish parents who fled Türkiye after the 1980 military coup, has led Die Linke to a historic election victory in Berlin, putting the 45-year-old lawyer within reach of becoming the German capital’s first governing mayor with Turkish roots.
Die Linke emerged as the clear largest party in Sunday’s election for Berlin’s House of Representatives. According to the latest rbb24 projection, the party stood at 25.1 percent, comfortably ahead of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on 19.8 percent.
The result marks the first time Die Linke has finished first in a Berlin state election and represents a dramatic reversal from the 2023 repeat election, with the party more than doubling its share of the vote.
Eralp immediately made clear that she intends to translate the victory into control of Berlin’s Red City Hall.
“The people of Berlin have given me, have given us, a clear mandate for the Red City Hall,” Eralp told ARD on election night, according to rbb24.
She also declared at Die Linke’s election gathering that “from today, we will change our Berlin together,” saying supporters had voted in the hope of creating a more affordable city.
Her personal story adds another dimension to the result. Eralp was born in Munich in 1981 to parents from Türkiye. Her parents, socialist and trade-union activists, had fled the country following the September 1980 military coup. She later studied law and worked as a legal adviser before entering Berlin’s House of Representatives.
The election was fought heavily around Berlin’s housing crisis, rising rents and the cost of living. Eralp confirmed on Sunday night that Die Linke intends to pursue the controversial socialisation of large housing companies, arguing that the rental crisis is the capital’s most important social issue.
According to rbb24, however, an Infratest Dimap election-day survey found 51 percent opposed to such socialisation and 37 percent in favour.
The wider result dramatically reshapes Berlin politics. At 19:27, rbb’s projection placed the AfD third with 15.6 percent, followed by the Greens with 14.9 percent. The SPD fell to just 12 percent, its worst result in a Berlin state election.
But Eralp is not yet Berlin’s new Governing Mayor.
Berlin voters elect the House of Representatives, which subsequently elects the Governing Mayor. Coalition negotiations will therefore determine whether Eralp ultimately takes control of the Red City Hall.
A three-party government appears necessary. The Greens have already indicated that they favour negotiations with Die Linke and the SPD. On the projected numbers, such a Die Linke–Greens–SPD coalition would command a parliamentary majority.
The result nevertheless represents a striking political breakthrough. A lawyer whose family arrived in Germany after fleeing military rule in Türkiye has taken Die Linke to first place in the capital of Europe’s largest economy — and positioned herself to potentially become Berlin’s first Governing Mayor with Turkish roots.
Sources: rbb24 – Berlin election live coverage | Tagesschau – Berlin 2026 election results | Berlin House of Representatives – Elif Eralp
Photo: AI-generated image created for The Levant Files.