Elif Eralp has emerged as the leading figure of Berlin’s Left Party after the party won the city-state’s September 20 election, campaigning on rent controls, public housing and the socialisation of large property holdings.
The victory puts Eralp on course to become Berlin’s first mayor from Die Linke and the first mayor of Turkish immigrant background, although forming a governing coalition will be crucial to determining how much of her programme can be implemented.
Housing at the heart of Eralp’s programme
Housing has been the central issue of Eralp’s campaign. Die Linke has backed the socialisation of large housing companies, building on a 2021 Berlin referendum in which almost 60% of voters supported bringing major corporate housing portfolios under collective ownership.
Eralp has argued that companies owning more than 3,000 apartments should be subject to socialisation. The proposal would affect around 220,000 homes and has been presented by the party as a way of expanding the city’s stock of publicly controlled housing.
The plan remains politically and financially contentious. Estimates of the cost have varied widely, while Berlin’s Social Democrats have opposed the expropriation of large housing companies, potentially complicating coalition negotiations.
Eralp has also called for a rent cap covering housing owned by Berlin’s public housing companies. Under the party’s campaign plan, rents would initially be frozen for a year, followed by tightly limited increases.
Influenced by New York’s Mamdani
Eralp has openly drawn inspiration from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, describing the success of a democratic socialist candidate in the US as significant. The two have exchanged ideas, while Mamdani campaign strategist Morris Katz reportedly visited Berlin to advise Eralp’s campaign.
The comparison has also highlighted the distinct political traditions behind the two movements. Die Linke has roots in Germany’s post-communist left, while Eralp’s campaign has increasingly attracted younger, urban voters.
From Turkish roots to Berlin politics
Eralp, 45, was born to Turkish parents who fled Istanbul in 1980 following the military coup. Her father was a socialist doctor and her mother trained nurses. After studying law, Eralp moved from Hamburg to Berlin and entered local politics.
She is now one of the most prominent figures in a renewed Berlin Left Party, which has sought to build support among younger voters around the city’s housing crisis and affordability. Her campaign has also used highly visible initiatives, including low-cost community meals, to emphasise its focus on the cost of living.
With Die Linke now the strongest party in the Berlin election, the next challenge will be translating Eralp’s housing programme into government policy while negotiating with potential coalition partners.
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