Die Linke wins Berlin state election as AfD finishes first in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Die Linke wins Berlin with focus on housing costs

Die Linke emerged as the leading party in the Berlin state election on 20 September 2026, securing 25.7% of the vote according to preliminary official results. The party more than doubled its 12.2% result from 2023, surpassing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which fell to 18.8%. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) took third place with 16.3%, followed by the Greens at 14.3% and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 12.1%. Voter turnout reached 74.2% across the capital.

Die Linke25.7%

CDU18.8%

AfD16.3%

Greens14.3%

SPD12.1%

Die Linke

25.7 %

CDU

18.8 %

AfD

16.3 %

Greens

14.3 %

SPD

12.1 %

Data from the article text

Led by 45-year-old lawyer Elif Eralp, Die Linke centered its campaign on rising rents, inflation, and tenant protections, adopting the slogan of an affordable Berlin. Eralp campaigned wearing a necklace inscribed with "Mietendeckel" (rent cap) and reiterated her commitment to expropriating large corporate housing portfolios under the non-binding 2021 referendum. Born in Munich in 1981 to Turkish political refugees who fled the 1980 military coup, Eralp studied law at the University of Hamburg between 2001 and 2007 before entering Berlin politics in 2021.

Campaign methods and youth voter turnout

The campaign in Berlin drew directly from strategies used by Zohran Mamdani in New York, with Die Linke sending a delegation to the United States to study local organizing methods. Eralp previously referenced the approach during the campaign.

“If a leftist can win in New York, the same can happen in Berlin.”

Organizers deployed thousands of volunteers for door-to-door canvassing across residential neighbourhoods, pairing direct personal discussions with targeted digital campaigns on social media. The strategy resonated strongly with younger demographics, with 48% of voters aged 16 to 29 casting their ballots for Die Linke. Eralp is expected to seek negotiations to form a state government with the SPD and the Greens, though formal coalition talks remain necessary to secure a governing majority.

AfD finishes first in eastern state vote

In northeastern Germany, the AfD took first place in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election, securing approximately 38% of the vote (reaching 38.3% in preliminary tallies). The result dealt a severe regional defeat to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU, which recorded its lowest postwar regional performance. SPD state premier Manuela Schwesig led a direct counter-campaign titled "The Woman against the Blues", narrowing the gap to finish slightly behind the AfD.

The outcome in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania follows the AfD winning nearly 44% in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks prior. AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla addressed reporters on Monday, with Chrupalla identifying voter priorities in the east.

“If you look at the issues, you will see that internal security, social harmony and peace in Europe in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were the decisive factors in the election.”

International and political reactions

Weidel publicly rejected Die Linke's proposals to socialize housing stock in Berlin. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on Monday regarding the German electoral outcomes, arguing that economic pressures contributed to voter shifts away from the federal coalition.

“The decline in the competitiveness of the German economy is largely due to Germany's decision to stop buying cheap Russian natural gas and, instead, procure much more expensive gas from other countries, primarily from the United States, sometimes paying multiples of the price on the spot market.”

Peskov also addressed US President Donald Trump's Friday signing of sweeping sanctions legislation against Russia, stating the measures would not aid peace talks regarding Ukraine.