“Elif Eralp, center, celebrates during the election night rally at the Left party headquarters in Berlin on Sept. 20.Photographer: Jens Schlueter/AFP/Getty ImagesGift this articleAdd us on GoogleContact us:Provide news feedback or report an errorConfidential tip?Send a tip to our reportersSite feedback:Take our SurveyBy Christoph Rauwald and Michael NienaberSeptember 20, 2026 at 10:05 AM PDTUpdated on September 20, 2026 at 10:52 PM PDTSaveTranslateTakeaways by Bloomberg AISubscribeGermany’s anti-capitalist Left party, which pledged to expropriate housing from private real estate companies, has won an election in the city-state of Berlin, beating both the ruling Conservatives of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the far-right Alternative for Germany.”

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“On Sunday, the Left Party, led by Elif Eralp, captured 25.3 percent of the vote in state elections and is now in talks with the Social Democrats and Greens to form a governing coalition with them at the helm.”

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“Although renting an apartment in the German capital has become almost 70% more expensive over the past 10 years, the alternation between conservatives and social democrats in power has been broken and Die Linke (The Left) has emerged as the most voted party in the city with a campaign focused above all on fighting high housing prices. The party leader, Elif Eralp, could become the first mayor of Berlin from the leftist political group if she managed to reach a coalition agreement with the Greens and the social democrats.”

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“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)”

Elif Eralp wins Berlin election and becomes new face of radical left