Elif Eralp: A leftist leader with Turkish roots dubbed ‘Germany’s Mamdani’

Victory in Berlin signals that Germany continues to be liberal, that, despite the far right’s rise, experts say. Eralp’s victory in Berlin signals that despite the far-right’s rise, Germany continues to be liberal, experts say. When Elif Eralp was 10, she rallied her friends to make hand-painted posters in her family’s garage, calling for the protection of the environment. It was the early nineties in Germany and this was one of her first forays into activism. Her parents also inspired her by taking her along to political demonstrations. Now, 35 years later, Eralp is taking her social justice advocacy to new heights. On Sunday, her The Left party (Die Linke) won first place in Berlin’s state election – putting her on course to potentially become the next governing mayor of Germany’s gritty, creative capital.

Born in Munich to Turkish socialists and trade unionists who fled the 1980 military coup in Turkiye, Eralp’s victory could mark several firsts. She would be the first The Left party candidate to lead Berlin since German reunification in 1990, the city’s first mayor of Turkish descent – and its first woman of colour to hold the office. Eralp’s campaign promises of affordable housing, rent controls and more political inclusion for immigrants and refugees contrasted with her rivals, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Two