Berlin Voters Choose Change as New Mayor Pledges to Tackle Rent Crisis
Berlin's Political Shift and the Challenge of Affordable Housing
By James Mackenzie
BERLIN, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The far-left leader pushing to take over as mayor of Berlin promised on Monday to tackle unaffordable rents in the German capital, but faced early pressure to take action over accusations of antisemitism in parts of the local party.
Elif Eralp led the Left Party to their best result in Berlin where they displaced Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative party in the mayor's office and look set to head a coalition governing the city for the first time.
"Berlin has clearly voted in favour of a change in policy, 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," she said on Monday.
Plan Targets Corporate Landlords
Famously described by former mayor Klaus Wowereit as "poor but sexy", Berlin has become increasingly expensive and its once famously cheap rents are now a thing of the past.
Eralp has pledged to expropriate more than 200,000 housing units from corporate landlords in a campaign which saw the party, whose roots lie in the former East German communist party, make gains in central and western areas of the city as well as its traditional strongholds in the east.
Financing and Political Opposition
"I still stand by that," she said on Monday, despite questions about how to finance a move the centre-left Social Democrats estimated would cost some €20 billion ($22.94 billion).
She said she aimed to reduce the influence of corporate landlords such as Deutsche Wohnen and Vonovia. Vonovia Chief Executive Luka Mucic said the group was ready to discuss solutions to Berlin's housing shortage but that "socialisation doesn't create any new housing".
Merz, who said the policy would have "devastating effects" on foreign investment if it were ever implemented, said he expected swift legislation to prevent expropriations.
Comparisons and Campaign Strategy
Mamdani an Example
Compared by some to New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign to make the city more affordable saw him win an unexpected victory last year, the 45-year-old Eralp is the child of left-wing Turkish parents who sought asylum in Germany after a military coup in 1980.
Personal Campaigning and Youth Support
Like Mamdani, her campaign focused heavily on personal campaigning and social media and she scored particularly strongly among the young, while winning support from thousands of Berliners who previously did not vote.
"As a woman, I'm reluctant to compare myself to a man. But naturally Mamdani's success was a big example for us," she said. "And we were very happy about it, because that election victory sent a very clear signal — not just to New York, but to the entire world."
Little known outside left-wing circles before the campaign, she now stands poised to lead the German capital at a time when the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made increasing gains across the country and posted its best-ever result in liberal Berlin.
Coalition Building and Antisemitism Concerns
Potential coalition partners in the centre-left Social Democrats and the environmental Greens have indicated they are ready to talk about forming a government.
But both have demanded Eralp address the longstanding accusations over antisemitism that have been levelled against some local branches of the Berlin party, often in connection with criticism of Israel.
Sensitivity and Political Response
The issue has been extremely sensitive in Germany, which has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas and the Israeli campaign that has laid waste to Gaza and killed tens of thousands.
Merz said the rise in antisemitism was a "disgrace for Germany" and pledged action to combat incidents in Berlin that he said had caused concern to European partners.
Eralp said it was her "absolute priority" to ensure that Jewish people in Berlin along with Muslims and all other groups "feel safe and can lead a good life here".
"It is absolutely clear to me that the glorification of violence and terrorism is completely unacceptable," Eralp told a news conference.
Additional Information
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(Additional reporting by Christian Kraemer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)