Die Linke wins Berlin election, AfD falls short

20.09.2026 19:30 HotInfo

According to initial estimates, Die Linke won Sunday's election to the Berlin state parliament. The party, led by top candidate Elif Eralp, won approximately 24.5 to 26 percent of the vote, clearly outpacing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which reached approximately 20 percent. Spiegel.de ↗

According to the estimates, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in third with approximately 13.5 to 16 percent of the vote. The Greens received around 15 percent and the Social Democrats approximately 12 percent. According to forecasts, the outgoing CDU-SPD coalition lost its majority. Welt ↗

The result could lead to a change in the city's leadership. Eralp said she sees the election as a mandate to change policy in Berlin and wants to continue pushing her main demands during the coalition negotiations. The Greens signaled interest in a government with Die Linke and the SPD. Deutschlandfunk ↗

"Ich will Berlins Regierende Bürgermeisterin werden," said Eralp, who wants to become Berlin's mayor. After the initial estimates were announced, she thanked her supporters and said the city wants to change together. Tagesspiegel ↗

The final distribution of seats and the possible shape of a new coalition will depend on the official results. If the forecasts are confirmed, negotiations to form a Berlin government could take several weeks. n-tv ↗

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Statement pattern

Elif Eralp: 7× statement in the past 12 months