Elif Eralp, whose parents fled a military coup in Turkey, has emerged as the lead candidate for the socialist Left in Berlin, doubling the party's previous result to 26% and winning an election in the city-state for the first time. Her potential to become the first Left mayor in Berlin represents a significant victory for migrant solidarity and anti-racist politics amidst a broader surge of the far-right across Germany. Eralp declared the election result a "victory for solidarity, for diversity, for democracy, against the shift to the right which we are experiencing in many places in this country." This stands in stark contrast to the gains made by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" in five federal states.
The Rise of the Far-Right
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats faces profound challenges following state election results on Sunday, September 20, 2026. His party failed to clear the required 5% threshold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for the first time in its history. In Berlin, the CDU suffered heavy losses. Merz described the outcome as a "dramatic and unprecedented result for the CDU," attributing the defeats partly to federal policy. He lamented a "dramatic shift of the party-political system in Germany," noting that over 40% of the vote went to "destructive" forces, clearly referencing the AfD and the Left Party.
The AfD significantly increased its vote share in both states. In Berlin, the party's result rose from 9% to 16% compared with the previous election. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, its support more than doubled to 38%. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla proclaimed, "The blue wave cannot be stopped." Co-leader Alice Weidel asserted that the AfD had "replaced the CDU as the party of the masses," criticizing the CDU's "unintelligent firewall policy" that rejects coalitions with both the AfD and the Left. This rise of the AfD signals a deepening entrenchment of anti-migrant sentiment within the German political landscape, reinforcing the racist logic of Fortress Europe.
Solidarity Against Austerity
Political scientist Wolfgang Muno from the University of Rostock highlighted the AfD as "a right-wing extremist party which has managed to bring together various groups." Muno also defended the Left Party, stating, "We have seen that the Left has really moved toward being a pragmatic, democratically oriented party. Therefore, there is no reason for the Christian Democrats to simply accuse them of being extremists, because the Left is not an extremist party." He criticized the CDU's refusal to cooperate with a democratic Left Party as a "bad sign."
The Left Party's success in Berlin, with lead candidate Elif Eralp, whose family history reflects the reality of forced migration, offers a counter-narrative to the rightward lurch. About 200,000 of Berlin's four million residents have Turkish roots, underscoring the city's diverse population. A campaign event featuring rapper Dahabflex, who sang about wishing death for Israel’s soldiers, did not appear to damage the party's electoral performance, though its district association in Neukölln stated an intention to clarify the matter. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, appealed to the Social Democrats and Greens not to form a coalition with the Berlin election winners, while Ines Schwerdtner, federal co-leader of the Left, affirmed the party's commitment to combating antisemitism. "We are there in Berlin to build bridges," Schwerdtner stated.
Meanwhile, Manuela Schwesig, the Social Democrats’ lead candidate in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, scored a partial success with about 36% of the vote. She criticized Merz's plans for deep cuts to the welfare system, particularly the proposed pension reform. Schwesig, who has held her office for nine years, argued that Merz was "misjudging the situation of what the people on the ground think." Her stance against austerity measures, which often disproportionately affect working-class communities and migrants, aligns with a broader struggle against the neoliberal policies that fuel social division and the criminalisation of movement.