Turkish-origin politician Elif Eralp could become the head of Berlin, the capital of Germany.
Modern.az reports that “Financial Times” wrote about this.
Elif Eralp, the main candidate of the left-wing “Die Linke” (“Left Party”) in the Berlin elections, has the opportunity to become the city's first Turkish-origin leader. However, since Berlin's governing mayor is elected not directly by voters but by the city parliament, the outcome will also depend on possible coalition talks between the parties.
Eralp joined “Die Linke” in 2017. In recent years, the number of party members has significantly increased. According to official party data, by the end of 2025, the number of members exceeded 123,500. In Berlin, the party had more than 17,000 members.
One of the main topics of Eralp's election campaign is the housing problem. “Die Linke” advocates for the transfer of approximately 220,000 apartments owned by large real estate companies to public ownership.
In a referendum held in Berlin on this issue in 2021, 57.6 percent of participants voted for the initiative to socialize the property of large housing companies.
“Financial Times” notes that there are serious disagreements regarding the financial burden of implementing the plan. Various estimates indicate that compensation and other costs could range from 7 billion euros to 36 billion euros.
One of the main topics of the Berlin elections is also the housing shortage and rising rental prices. According to “Reuters”, approximately 85 percent of Berlin households live in rented apartments, and the city may need an additional 211,000 apartments by 2040.
