Elif Eralp, The Left's lead candidate in Berlin, has framed Sunday's vote as a referendum on the city's future and Germany's political direction. Her campaign centers on housing affordability, including proposals to socialize large housing corporations, and casts the election as a rebuke of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's policies. Polls show The Left narrowly ahead of the CDU. Eralp also strongly denied claims that her party has failed to tackle anti-Semitism and stressed the need to protect Jewish life and ensure safety for all Berliners.
Eralp Frames Berlin Vote Around Change, Affordability and Housing Reform
Elif Eralp, the Left Party's top candidate in the 2026 Berlin House of Representatives election, is pictured ahead of the Left Party's campaign wrap-up event in front of the Rotes Rathaus. (is associated with: «Berlin Left's Eralp puts change, affordability at heart of Sunday vote») Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Elif Eralp, lead candidate for The Left, has cast Sunday's Berlin election as a referendum on the city's future and Germany's wider political direction. Speaking to dpa on Friday, Eralp said the vote is "about a change in policy" and about an affordable Berlin "where people can afford their rent and the nice things in life."
She argued the election is a choice between a capital "that belongs to its people and not to the interests of a select few" and policies that favour elites. Eralp framed the contest as a rejection of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and what she described as his "cold-hearted policy of social division and cuts."
Central to her campaign is the housing affordability crisis. Eralp has called for stronger tenant protections and proposals to socialize large housing corporations as part of a broader push for social, fair and unifying policies in the city.
Recent polls show The Left narrowly leading Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) in Berlin, making the race closely contested. At a rally outside Berlin's Red Town Hall, Eralp rejected accusations—primarily from the CDU—that The Left has not done enough to confront anti-Semitism. "I am unequivocally in favour of protecting Jewish life," she said, adding that everyone in Berlin must be able to feel safe, whether they are Jewish, Muslim or queer.
With the vote for the House of Representatives set for Sunday, Eralp urged voters to back a fresh start focused on affordability, social justice and inclusive governance.
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