Who Is Elif Eralp, the Turkish-German Politician Who Won Berlin?
Elif Eralp’s family sought asylum in Germany from Türkiye following the 1980 military coup. Her mother, a teacher, was eight months pregnant with Elif at the time. Eralp was born in Munich. Her father was a doctor.
Now 45, Eralp is a lawyer and mother of two who speaks Turkish, German, English and Spanish.
Under Eralp’s leadership, Die Linke (The Left) increased its vote share by around 12 percentage points and emerged as the strongest party in Berlin with 25.7% of the vote.
Because Berlin is both a city and a federal state, the person elected as the head of the state government also serves as the city’s governing mayor.
Eralp’s family background and worldview have been a major source of inspiration throughout her professional and political career.
“As the child of parents who came to Germany as asylum seekers, I have fought against injustice for as long as I can remember,” Eralp has said.
She has explained that the unequal treatment and different legal standards experienced by families like her own encouraged her to pursue a career in law.
Eralp says she decided to become a human rights lawyer at the age of 12. She completed her legal studies in Hamburg.
After moving to Berlin in 2010, Eralp has served as a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since 2021.
What were the main issues of Eralp’s election campaign?
📍 Rising rents and the housing crisis
Eralp made rapidly increasing rents and Berlin’s housing crisis central themes of her campaign. Issues of social justice and the concerns of immigrant communities were also consistently among her priorities.
She pledged to make Berlin a city where people can once again afford the cost of living, while strengthening Berliners’ sense of security about their future.
Eralp supports introducing a “rent cap” to limit rent increases and plans to address high rents by expanding affordable housing.
As a renter herself, Eralp’s focus on rising rents was not surprising. The cost of housing and the rental crisis were among the most important issues for Berlin voters during the election campaign.
📍 Greater political participation for immigrants
Eralp, who has worked for years on migration and anti-discrimination issues, has repeatedly emphasized the need for greater political and social participation by people with immigrant backgrounds.
Pointing out that more than 40% of Berlin’s population has a migration background, she argues that this diversity should also be reflected more strongly in politics and decision-making institutions.
Eralp has argued that the generation of so-called “guest workers” who helped build Berlin was never fully recognized or given the recognition it deserved.
“Around 43% of people here have a migration background. Their perspectives now need to be represented as well,” she has said.
Following the election result, Eralp declared:
“Friends, we have made history.”
If Die Linke succeeds in reaching a majority in the House of Representatives through an agreement with other parties, Eralp could become the first person with an immigrant background to serve as Governing Mayor of Berlin.
👏 Eralp has won Berlin. The next step is the state premiership.
Source: DW
