Europe21 September, 20262 min read
Elif Eralp Leads Die Linke to Historic Berlin Victory, Promising Rent Expropriations
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Die Linke won Berlin's state election, led by Elif Eralp, with roughly 25–26%. Eralp pledged housing expropriation of large landlords to nationalize housing and curb rents.
Berlin vote reshapes coalitions
Berlin’s state election delivered a historic victory to Die Linke, with Elif Eralp leading the party to 25.7% of the vote and setting up a potential first mayoral term for the Left in Berlin. Friedrich Merz’s CDU finished second with 18.8% in Berlin, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took 16.3% and the Greens won 14.3%, leaving the Social Democrats (SPD) at 12.1%. Eralp promised on Monday to tackle unaffordable rents in the German capital, framing the result as a vote for “an affordable Berlin where everyone can live with dignity, regardless of income or background, and for the rent crisis to be tackled consistently at long last.”
Eralp aimed to expropriate more than 200,000 housing units from corporate landlords, as Berlin’s once-cheap rents have become “a thing of the past.” Eralp faced early pressure over accusations of antisemitism in parts of the local party as she moved toward coalition talks to head the city.
Housing plan meets federal veto
Chancellor Friedrich Merz launched a direct veto against Die Linke’s flagship housing promise, asserting, “There will be no expropriations in Germany,” and saying the federal government was preparing a law to prevent them. Merz’s statement opened a clash with Elif Eralp, who declared Monday, “I've always said that if Die Linke enters the government, there will be socialization,” as coalition negotiations approached.
Eralp told a Monday news conference that it was her “absolute priority” to ensure that Jewish people in Berlin, along with Muslims and other groups, “feel safe and can lead a good life here.” Vonovia Chief Executive Luka Mucic said the company was ready to discuss solutions to Berlin's housing shortage but that “socialisation doesn't create any new housing.”
Europe-wide stakes for Berlin
Merz’s housing stance tied Berlin’s election outcome to Germany’s broader political and economic credibility, with El Mundo reporting that he warned the expropriation threat would affect confidence in Germany as an investment destination. El Mundo said Die Linke’s plan aimed to transfer around 220,000 apartments owned by large real estate companies into public hands, with compensation to the owners, and it described the measure as reviving a 2021 referendum.
Merz expected swift legislation to prevent expropriations, while Eralp said she still stood by her pledge to expropriate more than 200,000 housing units from corporate landlords. Potential coalition partners in the centre-left Social Democrats and the environmental Greens indicated they were ready to talk about forming a government, but both demanded Eralp address accusations over antisemitism in some local branches of the Berlin party.