Elif Eralp's Left Party on course for historic win in German capital
Exit polls put Die Linke at about 25%, and Elif Eralp must now assemble a red-red-green coalition to govern Berlin.
- On Sunday, exit polls showed Die Linke winning about 25 percent of the vote in Berlin, positioning lead candidate Elif Eralp as the top contender to become the city's next mayor.
- The daughter of Turkish migrants, Eralp has campaigned on reducing inequality and solving Berlin's housing crisis, including a controversial pledge to expropriate flats held by large corporate landlords.
- Controversy from an August campaign event in Neukoelln persists, where a performer chanted "Death to the IDF!", prompting Eralp to distance herself amid criticism regarding the party's fitness to govern.
- Assembling a "red-red-green coalition" poses significant challenges, as SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach has publicly opposed Eralp's expropriation proposals, complicating coalition negotiations.
- Eralp has campaigned as the best person to counter the far-right AfD's rise, positioning her victory as significant for Germany's mainstream parties facing electoral pressure.
156 Articles
156 Articles
The victory of the Left Party in the Berlin state elections on Sunday (20) was overshadowed by the continuing advance of the far right in eastern Germany, but it represented yet another defeat for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition. The main candidate, Elif Eralp, campaigned on the basis of the exorbitant cost of housing in the German capital and immediately promised to fulfil the promise of nationalizing private housing associations, …
Far-left party wins Berlin election, pledging to nationalise housing
By James Mackenzie BERLIN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The far-left Left Party's victory in the Berlin state election on Sunday was overshadowed by the continuing advance of the far-right in eastern Germany but it marked another defeat for Chancellor Friedrich...
According to projections, LEFT is by far the strongest party in Berlin, while AfD finished in first place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The CDU of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was hit particularly hard.
Far left wins Berlin, far right in another state polls; Merz calls result 'disaster'
Exit polls showed Die Linke leading in Berlin and the AfD topping Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, handing the CDU another blow. The outcome adds to pressure on Friedrich Merz, who has vowed to push ahead with reforms.
The left has won the Berlin election surprisingly clearly on Sunday after the first extrapolations. It can count on around 25 percent and now has the first chance to place the mayor with top candidate Elif Eralp (see video above). But who is the 45-year-old, who stood in the second row for a long time?
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- 38% of the sources lean Right
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