Germany's socialist Left Party (Die Linke) has seen its membership skyrocket and is particularly popular among young female voters. The party is now eyeing power in the city-state of Berlin.
"We are fighting in Berlin to turn the city red," read the main motion presented to delegates at the party's federal convention. According to recent polls, a three-way coalition with the Greens could secure a majority in the September election for the state parliament.
Berlin has been "red" before: from 2016 to 2023, it was governed by such a coalition under successive SPD mayors. This time, the Left Party dreams of winning the election and taking the mayor's office itself, with candidate Elif Eralp. The 45-year-old has a remarkable background: her parents were active in politics and trade unions in Turkey before fleeing to Germany in 1980 after a military coup.
Winning the election won't be easy. Berlin's current governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) still leads polls at 20%. But Eralp hopes to win not only in traditional left-wing strongholds but also in other parts of Berlin. The party aims to replicate the "miracle of New York."
The Left Party is the descendant of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), which ruled East Germany as a dictatorship from 1949 to 1989, though it has long since established itself as part of Germany's political landscape. It currently governs in two of Germany's 16 states.
At the federal level, however, the Left Party has little chance of gaining power, partly because its foreign and security policy is deemed too radical by many voters: it opposes all arms exports and Germany's rearmament since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The party accuses Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centrist government of inflating the military budget while dismantling the welfare state. It also opposes planned reforms to healthcare and pension systems.
For weeks, the Left Party has organized protests across Germany under the slogan "Enough is enough! Make life affordable!" In the 2025 federal election, the party nearly doubled its vote share to almost 9%.
Political scientist Antonios Souris of Berlin's Free University believes the Left Party could take the lead on issues like housing and social policy. The party's designated co-leader, Luigi Pantisano, whose parents immigrated from Italy, embodies a multicultural society.
The average age of delegates at the party convention is just 37, and 53% are women. Nationwide, the Left Party polls at just over 10%, and its membership has more than doubled since 2023, exceeding 125,000.
However, new members have also made headlines with controversial statements on the Middle East. The party has been accused of antisemitism, and the leadership is keen to keep the debate under control.
Source: www.dw.com