All Podcasts / Jung & Naiv / #849 - Elif Eralp, Spitzenkandidatin der Linken | Berlin-Wahl 2026
Jung & Naiv
Jung & Naiv

#849 - Elif Eralp, Spitzenkandidatin der Linken | Berlin-Wahl 2026

September 03, 2026 • 2h 36m

Summary

⏱️ 11 min read

Overview

Elif Eralp, Left Party candidate for Governing Mayor of Berlin, discusses her background as a daughter of Turkish political refugees, her political priorities including affordable housing and public transportation, and her vision for leading Berlin. The interview covers her personal journey, stance on key Berlin issues like rent control, socialization of housing corporations, migration policy, and recent antisemitism controversies within her party.

Personal Background and Path to Politics

Elif Eralp shares her family's refugee story from Turkey following the 1980 military coup, growing up in Germany navigating asylum procedures and integration challenges, and her journey from wanting to become a human rights lawyer to entering politics. She discusses how her parents' socialist activism and experiences with discrimination shaped her political consciousness without explicit indoctrination.

  • Eralp's parents fled Turkey as socialists after the 1980 military coup, applying for asylum at Munich airport with her mother eight months pregnant
  • The asylum process took over two years, complicated by a conservative judge, until Amnesty International campaigned for the family
  • Her mother's teaching degree wasn't recognized for 15 years in Germany; both parents worked through precarious circumstances to rebuild their lives
  • Eralp was sent alone to Turkey as a child while her parents couldn't return for 12-15 years due to legal restrictions
  • She studied law to become a human rights lawyer after witnessing injustices faced by migrants and guest workers in her community
" Ich bin tatsächlich aus Überzeugung geworden. Also meine Eltern haben mich nie indoktriniert. Man hat ja so die Vorstellung, die erzählen einem dann da den ganzen Tag irgendwie so vom Kapital und Marx und so. "
" Ich habe ja schon erzählt, wir hatten immer Leute bei uns zu Besuch, also viele Menschen, die entweder für ihre Arbeitsrechte als sogenannte GastarbeiterInnen gekämpft haben oder die auch hierher geflüchtet waren, die nicht anerkannt worden sind, die tausend Stress hatten mit Behörden. "

Mayoral Candidacy and Leadership Approach

Eralp explains why she was chosen as the Left Party's mayoral candidate despite limited executive experience, how she balances family life with political ambition, and her collaborative leadership philosophy. She acknowledges concerns about her lack of government leadership experience but emphasizes bringing fresh perspectives from ordinary Berliners' lives.

  • Eralp was approached for the candidacy and represents the renewed Left Party that has doubled membership and become younger, more female, and more diverse
  • She considered security requirements, family time sacrifices, and the enormous responsibility for nearly 4 million Berliners before accepting
  • Her leadership approach emphasizes dialogue and exchange rather than authoritarian command, believing in enabling coalition partners to achieve their priorities
  • She admits to being stubborn and persistent in arguments, continuing to push for her positions even when others want to move on
" Ich glaube, meine Stärke ist eher, dass ich die Perspektive von vielen Berlinerinnen und Berlinern mit ins Rathaus nehmen kann und nehmen möchte, dass ich einfach ein Leben führe wie viele anderen auch. "
" Manchmal ist es auch eine Stärke, wenn man nicht schon Jahrzehnte in irgendeinem Apparat war und dann immer in diesen gleichen Schienen und Mustern denkt, sondern auch mal ein bisschen out of the box denken kann. "

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