Berlin heads to state election with Die Linke leading CDU in polls on housing platform
Berliners will vote on 20 September 2026 in a state parliamentary election where Die Linke holds a narrow polling lead over the CDU on plans to expropriate corporate landlords.
The battle for Berlin's city hall
Voters in Berlin will head to the polls on Sunday, 20 September 2026, to elect a new city-state parliament. Nearly 2.5 million residents are eligible to cast ballots, with 16-year-olds voting in the capital for the first time. The election will determine whether the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) retains the mayoralty under Stefan Evers or cedes control to Die Linke candidate Elif Eralp. Eralp, a 45-year-old human rights lawyer and the daughter of Turkish immigrants, leads a campaign modelled on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Her campaign strategist Morris Katz visited Berlin in April 2026 to structure her messaging around basic living costs and three-euro public meal programmes.
- Berlin voters pass referendum supporting the socialisation of large corporate housing portfolios
- Strategist Morris Katz advises Elif Eralp in Berlin on campaign messaging
- Alternative for Germany wins the state parliamentary election in Saxony-Anhalt
- Voters cast ballots in state elections across Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Housing costs and the expropriation platform
Housing affordability forms the central focus of the race in a city where 85% of residents do not own their homes. Rents in Berlin have climbed by 77% over the past decade, while asking rents rose 152% between 2010 and 2022 according to the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung. Die Linke is campaigning to implement the 2021 referendum result, in which 57.6% of voters supported socialising corporate housing portfolios. The party plans to expropriate portfolios from companies owning over 3,000 units, such as Vonovia, which holds 130,000 flats in Berlin. Real estate groups estimate the forced purchase of roughly 220,000 apartments would cost between 10 billion and 30 billion euros.
The housing issue is the central social issue facing our city, and I have always said that, if I become mayor, I will pull out all the stops to make Berlin affordable again and lower rents.
Party standings and coalition prospects
Recent polling from Infratest dimap places Die Linke ahead at 21%, followed closely by the CDU at 20% and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 18%. The Green party polls at 16%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) under candidate Stephen Krach registers 12% following a police bribery search at his home. CDU Berlin general secretary Lukas Krieger described the political geography of the capital to reporters before the vote.
Berlin is indeed particularly difficult.
A victory for Die Linke could lead to a left-leaning governing coalition with the Greens and SPD, ending the CDU-led regional alliance.
- Die Linke
- 21 %
- CDU
- 20 %
- AfD
- 18 %
- Greens
- 16 %
- SPD
- 12 %
Regional contest in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Voters in the northeastern coastal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will also choose a state parliament on 20 September 2026. The SPD administration under Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, which has governed in Schwerin since 1998, faces a close challenge from the AfD led by federal lawmaker Leif-Erik Holm. Recent state surveys place the SPD and AfD in a statistical tie, with support ranging between 35% and 37% for both parties. Schwesig has framed her campaign around personal leadership against the right-wing platform, while Holm has focused on immigration and social spending.
