Baku, September 20, AZERTAC
Germany’s socialist Left Party was on track for a historic first-place finish in Berlin’s state election on Sunday, with lead candidate Elif Eralp hailing a result that could make her the capital’s first governing mayor from a migrant background, Anadolu Agency reported.
ARD’s latest projection put the Left Party at 24.9% — almost double its 12.2% result in the 2023 election — and nearly five points ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU with 20.0%.
The anti-immigrant AfD followed at 15.7%, the environmentalist Greens at 15.0%, and the center-left SPD at 11.9%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, or BSW, was at 5.0%, just enough to enter the Berlin state parliament.
“Dear Berliners, thank you — thank you for your trust,” Eralp told supporters in a jubilant Sunday night speech. “Together, we have made history today,” she said, adding that the results showed voters had given the Left Party a mandate to form a new government.
Eralp, a human rights advocate of Turkish origin, had already led pre-election polls and surprised many observers with her surge. She embraced New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s democratic socialist message as a campaign blueprint.
Eralp said Mamdani’s 2025 victory offered a model for left-wing parties worldwide, including in Germany, with both campaigns focused on fighting social injustice and making major cities more affordable.