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The Left Party has won Berlin’s state election with 25.5% of the vote. According to preliminary results, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came second with 19.1%, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) third with 16%, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) fourth with 12.1%.
The result is being viewed as a major shift in the city’s political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing coalition. It has increased the possibility that Left Party candidate Elif Eralp could become Berlin’s first mayor from the party. The Left Party was formed from the former communist party of East Germany.
Housing was the Left Party’s key election pledge
During the election campaign, Elif Eralp placed particular emphasis on Berlin’s rapidly rising housing and rental costs. She described conditions in the rental market as the capital’s biggest social problem and said she would seek to nationalize private housing companies.
The proposal came to the fore after a referendum held in 2021. In that referendum, 58% of voters supported drafting legislation to transfer large private housing companies into public ownership. The plan could involve around 220,000 housing units, although it remains unclear whether it will be implemented.
SPD Secretary-General Tim Klüssendorf said nationalizing housing companies could cost around 20 billion euros.
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s 16 federal states. Its state elections are closely watched because they reflect political trends in the country’s capital and can influence the national debate on housing, migration and coalition politics.
