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

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.

“There was a strong desire for disruption and radical political change,” Martin Fuchs, a German political and digital consultant, told Al Jazeera.

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.

“Without an active civil society, progress to the left cannot be achieved,” she said.

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”.

That designation would see the German capital become more welcoming to refugees, end “stigmatising police checks”, she said, and improve immigrants’ participation in civil society.

She campaigned on a nationwide rent cap and wants more housing placed under municipal ownership.

“I stand for a social policy – a policy that brings everyone along. And the priority now is making Berlin affordable,” she said in her victory speech on Sunday.

Edward Goodger, a lecturer in politics at the University of Manchester studying the left and populism, said Die Linke has now edged out other leftists, such as the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance.

“An Eralp-led government could provide another prominent political (force) who could act as a rallying point for radical-left politics in Germany,” Goodger told Al Jazeera.

Beyond rent freezes, Eralp has loftier goals as mayor, such as hosting a New Year reception for the homeless at city hall.

She embraced the New York mayor’s democratic socialist message as a campaign blueprint, with some calling her “Germany’s Mamdani”.

Some of her party members travelled to New York to learn more about Zohran Mamdani’s campaign and meet with his advisers.

Eralp said his victory last year offered a model for left-wing parties worldwide, including in Germany. Both focused on fighting social injustice and making major cities more affordable.

Her online presence was also crucial to her success, said Fuchs.

“With the help of highly professional ‘vibe’ content – modelled on Zohran Mamdani’s campaign in New York … [she] managed to connect with the everyday realities of many Berliners,” he said.

Translation: Zohran Mamdani shows that a different kind of politics is possible. A victory for the working class – achieved through an inspiring campaign and policies that improve people’s lives. What lessons can we draw from this for Berlin? Join us as we discuss strategies, successes, and next steps with Elif Eralp, Maximilian Schirmer, Franziska Heinisch and Liza Pflaum. Come along and join the conversation!

Eralp was by far the most visible candidate on social media, amassing the highest number of views across platforms at 6.3 million, according to an analytics platform, viral.app.

“Eralp’s election could serve as a significant symbol, encouraging even more people from migrant communities to get involved in politics and to feel seen and heard in this society,” Fuchs said. “[It] could strengthen cohesion between citizens with and without a migrant background and thus help to counter division.”

Gero Neugebauer, a professor of political science at The Free University of Berlin, said Eralp is well suited to lead a German city, home to many immigrant communities since the 1960s.

“Eralp has Turkish parents, was born in Munich and holds both German and Turkish citizenship. In this respect, [her taking] office would confirm the slogan: ‘Look, this is Berlin’,” Neugebauer told Al Jazeera, referring to the local cultural catchphrase.

But The Left party must still secure coalition partners and a majority in Berlin’s House of Representatives, which elects the governing mayor.

While in office, Eralp could struggle to fulfil some of her election promises, said Fuchs.

She will have to convince about half of Berliners – which includes the business community – about her housing reforms, which could also involve lengthy legal hurdles, he said.

That legal battle could play out as a potential conflict between the federal government and the state government, said Neugebauer.

The Left party has also faced accusations of anti-Semitism – and would need to distance itself from them, Fuchs explained.

But Eralp’s win has made one thing imminently clear: Germans are looking for alternatives.

“The result from Berlin seems to be following a much wider trend currently being seen in German politics: Voters looking beyond the established mainstream parties, with this dissatisfaction being channelled to both radical-left and radical-right challenger parties,” said Goodger.