Projections from ZDF and ARD put The Left’s Elif Eralp at about 25% in Berlin, positioning her to become the city’s next mayor and the first with Turkish heritage. Eralp campaigned on addressing affordability and a severe housing crunch, promising to push large property companies into public control and pursue nationalization from day one. She is expected to seek a coalition with the Greens and the SPD, though final results and coalition talks will determine the path forward.
Elif Eralp Poised To Become Berlin Mayor After The Left Tops Projections
Elif Eralp (C), the party's top candidate and deputy chair of the Left parliamentary caucus, addresses supporters and party members at an election party held by Berlin's Left Party at the Festsaal Kreuzberg, on the results of the House of Representatives election. (is associated with: «The Left's Elif Eralp cheers election win, set to become Berlin mayor») Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Projections from public broadcasters ZDF and ARD showed The Left’s lead candidate, Elif Eralp, with roughly 25% of the vote across Berlin, putting her party well ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz. If the results hold, Eralp, 45, would become the first mayor of Berlin from The Left and the city’s first mayor with Turkish heritage.
Election Themes and Platform
The campaign was dominated by concerns over affordability and a severe housing shortage. A central plank of The Left’s platform was a pledge to bring large property companies under public control, with Eralp repeatedly promising to pursue nationalization of major landlords from “day one.”
Coalition Prospects and Political Context
Eralp is expected to seek a coalition with the Greens and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) to govern the city. The Left traces its roots to the successor parties of East Germany’s ruling Socialist Unity Party and has positioned itself as a vocal opponent of austerity measures and the political right.
"I want to become mayor of Berlin so that the people in our city can once again have a better life," Eralp told ARD. Addressing supporters, she added: "Love and justice have triumphed over hatred, and this message is being sent out to the world."
Eralp also said she drew inspiration from progressive figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, campaigning to make Berlin a "centre of resistance against social cutbacks and the shift to the right."
What Comes Next
These are projections rather than final results. Negotiations to form a governing coalition would follow the confirmed vote count, and any move toward nationalizing property groups would likely face legal, political and logistical challenges. Still, Eralp’s lead signals a major shift in Berlin politics and a public appetite for aggressive measures to tackle housing and affordability.
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