Berlin mayoral candidate Elif Eralp files defamation complaint against Interior Minister Dobrindt

Criminal complaint filed in Berlin

Berlin mayoral candidate Elif Eralp and the Berlin regional branch of Die Linke filed a formal criminal complaint on 28 September 2026 against German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. Lawyer Jasper Prigge announced the legal filing, stating that the Christian Social Union politician committed defamation and insult under the German Criminal Code. The complaint asserts that Dobrindt endorsed a false factual claim during a national television broadcast by characterizing Eralp as an antisemite. According to the legal brief submitted by Prigge, describing a political figure as antisemitic is substantially derogatory to personal honor. The document argues that broadcasting the allegation is capable of damaging Eralp's integrity as an elected official and disrupting the formation of a new state government.

Television exchange on ZDF

The legal dispute stems from an episode of the ZDF talk show "Maybrit Illner" broadcast on Thursday evening. The programme featured a debate between Dobrindt and Die Linke Bundestag parliamentary group leader Heidi Reichinnek. During the discussion, host Maybrit Illner made a slip of the tongue by stating that Eralp claims to be an antisemite, before instantly correcting herself to say that Eralp states she is not an antisemite. Dobrindt interjected during the exchange, responding with "Na doch" ("Oh yes, she is") to affirm the initial formulation. Reichinnek rejected Dobrindt's intervention on air and defended Eralp.

Calling Elif Eralp an antisemite is really absolutely disgusting. And I think it is really a disgrace how you are treating the future mayor right now.

Berlin election and coalition negotiations

The confrontation follows the Berlin state election held on 20 September 2026 for the Abgeordnetenhaus, where Die Linke placed first with 25.7% of the vote. The Christian Democratic Union secured second place with 18.8%, followed by Alternative for Germany at 16.3%, the Greens at 14.3%, and the Social Democratic Party at 12.1%. As the lead candidate for the winning party, Eralp is seeking to negotiate a red-green-red coalition alongside the Greens and the SPD. If elected Governing Mayor, Eralp, who is the daughter of Turkish refugees, would become the first person with a migrant background to lead the city government at the Rotes Rathaus.

Pre-election disputes over party rhetoric

The dispute between Dobrindt and Die Linke developed prior to the television broadcast. During a party gathering in Kloster Banz the previous week, Dobrindt stated that the Berlin branch of Die Linke openly tolerated antisemites and extremists in its orbit. Politicians from the CDU/CSU, the Free Democratic Party, and AfD raised objections after a pro-Palestinian rapper called for violence against the Israeli military at a Die Linke campaign event. Eralp responded before and after the election by rejecting antisemitism, condemning calls for violence, and publicly reaffirming Israel's right to exist. Her legal counsel maintains that Dobrindt's on-air interjection went beyond political debate and constituted an actionable criminal offense.