Refugee-born Elif Eralp wins Berlin mayoral race, pledges inclusive city policies

Elif Eralp, who came to Berlin a decade ago after growing up in several German cities as the child of Turkish refugees, won the mayoral election in the capital. Her political career began with the Left party in 2017, where she focused on immigration rights, anti-terrorism measures and combating structural racism in police forces. Prior to her mayoral bid, she served as a legal adviser to the party’s parliamentary group at the federal level and later as a member of the Berlin state parliament.

Eralp’s platform emphasized affordable housing, proposing expropriation of properties owned by large investors, and promoting Berlin as a city open to migrants, the poor and diverse communities. She defeated Christian Democratic candidate Stefan Evers with a comfortable margin, while her campaign was supported by figures such as Moritz Katz. The result signals a shift toward left-leaning governance in a city facing housing shortages, rising inequality and social tensions.