For the first time, Berlin may be led by a woman from a migrant background

Berlin could be led by a woman from a migrant family for the first time

In the Berlin elections, Elif Eralp, who is of Turkish origin, is leading the Left Party's (Die Linke) list of candidates for the capital's mayor, as the party heads toward victory.

According to preliminary official results, Die Linke received 25.7 percent of the vote. This is twice as much as its result in the previous election. Thus, for the first time in history, Die Linke has become the largest political force in Berlin.

"In our city, love and justice triumphed over hatred. Today we all demonstrated this together, and this message is spreading across the world," Eralp said after the preliminary results were announced.

The 45-year-old lawyer Elif Eralp was born into a family of Turkish migrants. One of the main themes of her election campaign was the housing crisis in Berlin, including high rental prices.

Turkey's Karar newspaper called the politician "Berlin's Turkish Mamdani," comparing her to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

However, Die Linke's victory does not mean Eralp will automatically become the city's leader. To be elected mayor of Berlin, she must win a majority of votes from the deputies in the House of Representatives. Therefore, negotiations on forming a coalition will now begin.

The media points to a coalition between Die Linke, the Greens, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany as one of the likely options.

If Eralp succeeds in leading the Berlin government, she will become the first woman of Turkish descent to hold the office of mayor of the German capital.