Berlin elects far-left mayor who vows to seize 220,000 homes from private landlords

Far-left party wins Berlin election, pledging to nationalise housing

The Left Party roughly doubled its vote to win Berlin's state election, displacing Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats from the mayor's office. Lead candidate Elif Eralp, 45, immediately pledged to nationalize private housing associations holding some 220,000 units, citing the city's soaring rents as its biggest social problem. The SPD puts the cost at €20 billion, and a poll found only 37% support. The far-right AfD also surged, winning 16% in Berlin and finishing first in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.