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 weeks ago, the AfD triumphed in Saxony-Anhalt.
But on Sunday, they came third in Berlin. Eralp’s party nabbed the most votes, but it now needs allies to take control of the mayor’s office. As Germans look beyond traditional political candidates, her appeal may have grown, experts say.
Additionally, Eralp’s win after the AfD’s “shows that, in 2026, Germany is not only witnessing a rise in far-right parties, but [that] there continues to be a colourful, diverse, open and liberal Germany,” he added. A member of The Left party since 2017, she wants to see “alternatives to neoliberal policies” and seeks to confront the “racist AfD”, according to her website. She has served in the Berlin House of Representatives since 2021 and became deputy chair of The Left party’s parliamentary group in 2024.
She had a lengthy legal career, having studied law in Hamburg and worked for more than a decade as a legal adviser for The Left. The daughter of refugees has long advocated for migrant rights. Eralp interned with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, cofounded a migrant rights network within The Left party and is pushing for Berlin to become a “solidarity city”.
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