The Left (Die Linke) scored a major victory in the Berlin elections, and its candidate, Elif Eralp, or the “Mamdani of Berlin,” as many describe her, is expected to become the first governing mayor of Turkish descent in the German capital.
With affordable housing as the central issue of its election campaign, Die Linke more than doubled its share of the vote, winning 25.7%, and, barring any surprises, will govern in coalition with the SPD and the Greens.
In the elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD scored another major victory. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) recorded the worst result in their history and, for the first time, failed to secure representation in a state parliament. This happened in Angela Merkel’s former constituency.
Die Linke emerged as the “party of the youth,” winning 43% of the vote among 16 to 24-year-olds and 49% among those aged 25 to 34.
Already yesterday afternoon, Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the result as a “disaster,” while German media have raised the question of his replacement.
“Of course the question of the chancellor is now on the table,” Der Spiegel wrote in a commentary, noting that the three state elections of this summer are finally over.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, despite finishing second behind the AfD, the SPD’s Manuela Schwesig will most likely remain minister-president, governing in coalition with the Left and the Greens.
Sources: Euronews, The Guardian
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