"Mamdani Berlin".. The German Left Bets on a Politician of Turkish Descent to Lead the Capital

SadaNews - From an activist defending migrant rights to the candidate of the German "Left" party for the position of mayor of Berlin, which is equivalent to the presidency of the state government, the name of the German politician of Turkish origin, Elif Eralp, has emerged as one of the most prominent faces in the upcoming local elections scheduled for September. Turkish reports focus on Elif Eralp’s experience as a rising figure within the German left, and convey comparisons made by German media between her and Socialist New York Mayor Zharan Mamdani, in light of her campaign focused on the housing crisis and rising living costs, alongside issues of immigration, rights, and freedoms. How did Eralp carve her path from being the daughter of a migrant family to becoming one of the prominent faces of the left in Berlin? What are the main features of her electoral program and the issues she prioritizes in her campaign? How do Turkish reports view the implications of her nomination within the political scene in Berlin? **Turkish Origins** The personal background of Eralp reveals part of the journey that led her to the forefront of the German left, as the magazine Perspektif - published in Turkish from Germany - notes that Elif was born in 1981 to a leftist and union family that had to leave Turkey following the 1980 coup, which has shaped part of her political and social background since childhood. Eralp recounts, in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, that what she witnessed in her childhood from forms of "injustice and racism" prompted her to study law and pursue a career in human rights, emphasizing that despite her family's leftist orientation, she was not ideologically directed. After studying law, Eralp interned at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and worked in the field of migrant and refugee rights, before holding the position of legal adviser for the "Left" party in the federal parliament (Bundestag) for about 11 years, according to Hürriyet. Since 2021, the politician of Turkish origin - as the report clarifies - has served as a member of the Berlin state parliament, focusing on housing, immigration, and combating racism and discrimination. According to Perspektif, the "Left" party announced last October the unanimous selection of Eralp as its candidate to lead Berlin in the upcoming elections, a move described by the magazine as a "turning point" that bolstered her position within the party and solidified her presence in the political landscape of the German capital. **Mamdani Berlin** Following her nomination, Hürriyet notes that German media began comparing Eralp to the Mayor of New York, as Eralp also focuses on economic disparities, rising rents, public transportation, and issues affecting the daily lives of residents, using direct communication with voters through field visits and door-to-door campaigns. Eralp believes that rising rents are no longer affecting just low-income earners but are also pushing the middle class to leave the city, stressing that "a home is a place where people live, not a tool for profit." She describes public transport as the second largest problem in Berlin, adding to the newspaper, "I cannot promise everyone wealth, but I can promise them a Berlin where everyone can live a good life." Perspektif points out that Eralp presents a program aimed at restructuring the social fabric in Berlin, under the slogan "Berlin is no longer for sale," calling for the nationalization of around 240,000 housing units owned by major real estate companies. As a politician of Turkish origin, Eralp does not address the issue of immigration purely from the perspective of integration but focuses on combating institutional racism, enhancing political participation, and achieving equal opportunities in education, as well as preventing discrimination within public institutions, according to the magazine. The candidate also views migrants - the report adds - as one of the foundational components of society in Berlin, supporting dual citizenship and granting non-citizen residents the right to vote in local elections. Her positions on human rights do not stop at immigration issues; the magazine notes that amid rising solidarity activities with Palestine in Berlin, Eralp defended the right to protest and stand in solidarity with Palestinians as part of freedom of expression, describing the police interventions during those protests as "disproportionate." **The Left's Bet** The magazine suggests that understanding the "Left" party's bet on Eralp requires a reading of the nature of the political scene in Berlin, which differs from other German states. The capital is characterized by a more fragmented party map and sharper ideological polarization. Moreover, the position of the city mayor - as the report explains - is not decided by direct voting but according to majority balances within the state parliament. Therefore, the elections do not only represent a competition for votes but also serve as a test of the parties' ability to build coalitions and manage power-sharing negotiations. Regarding the competing parties, the report clarifies that the "Christian Democratic Union" focuses its campaign on security and order, while the "Left" and "Green" parties bet on social justice and enhancing the role of public services, whereas the "Social Democratic Party" attempts to maintain a centrist position between the two camps. Eralp commented - in her interview with the newspaper - on the opinion polls that placed her party in the lead by a narrow margin, saying, "Polls are not elections, so we will not fall into the trap of complacency and will continue to work every day for the people, but these results show that citizens see us as a party capable of producing solutions." The magazine concludes that Eralp's candidacy to lead Berlin has transcended being merely a competition for managing the capital, to become part of a broader discussion about the political and social direction that Berlin will adopt in the upcoming years.