Story perspectives

Die Linke wins Berlin election with 25.7%

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 8:08 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Die Linke Wins

Die Linke won the Berlin state election with 25.7 percent of the vote on September 20, 2026.
Lead candidate Elif Eralp could become Berlin’s first mayor of Turkish origin.
Coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party and the Greens are scheduled for October 1, 2026.
150 prominent Jews, including Eva Menasse and Susan Neiman, signed an open letter backing Die Linke.
Federal Economy Minister Katherina Reiche accused Die Linke of antisemitism and housing expropriations in a video.

Summary

Linke Files Complaint

Elif Eralp and Berlin Die Linke filed a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
Lawyer Jasper Prigge says Dobrindt’s remark constitutes defamation and insult under the German Criminal Code.
Prigge warns the false accusation could damage Eralp’s reputation and impede Berlin’s new government formation.
The remark occurred on the Maybrit Illner TV talk show, where the host mistakenly labeled Eralp an anti-Semite.

History

Historical Context

In 2005, Die Linke entered the German Bundestag with 8.7 percent of the vote, marking the first parliamentary presence of the party’s successor to the PDS. The breakthrough prompted Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s SPD to negotiate a 2007 coalition agreement with the Greens, allocating €2 billion for social housing. Today's Berlin election, where Elif Eralp leads Die Linke to 25.7 percent and faces defamation claims from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, echoes the 2005 scrutiny over the party’s alleged antisemitism. The recurring legal battles suggest that Germany’s coalition dynamics will continue to test the balance between leftist policy ambitions and stringent anti-defamation standards.

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Die Linke Wins

Die Linke won the Berlin state election with 25.7 percent of the vote on September 20, 2026.
Lead candidate Elif Eralp could become Berlin’s first mayor of Turkish origin.
Coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party and the Greens are scheduled for October 1, 2026.
150 prominent Jews, including Eva Menasse and Susan Neiman, signed an open letter backing Die Linke.
Federal Economy Minister Katherina Reiche accused Die Linke of antisemitism and housing expropriations in a video.

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