This post was originally published on this site.
—
Her name is Elif Eralp. A 45-year-old lawyer of Turkish descent, previously little known to the public, she has become the new face of radical left-wing parties asserting themselves in major cities around the world. As lead candidate for Die Linke (“the left”) in the Berlin city-state’s regional elections, she secured 25.1% of the vote (a gain of 12.9 points compared to the last elections in 2023, according to the latest estimates), a little less than a year after the momentous victory of Democrat Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral race. It is a historic win for a party that, just three years ago, was marred by internal divisions and has now become one of the most dynamic forces in German politics.
On Sunday, the far-left movement sailed past the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Before losing Berlin’s city hall to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2023, the SPD had been the dominant political force in the German capital for decades. Die Linke also outpaced the party of the outgoing mayor and the federal chancellor, Friedrich Merz, which won 19.2% of the vote, down by nine points. Die Linke additionally outperformed the Greens, who took 14.3% (−4.1 points), and especially the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which nevertheless made gains in the capital, with 15.8% of the vote (+6.7 points). According to the latest estimates published Sunday night, the only viable coalition would be an alliance of Die Linke with the SPD and the Greens. Eralp’s victory sealed the renewal of Germany’s far-left party.
You have 71.71% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
