Die Linke wins Berlin election with housing focus

Die Linke won Berlin's state election on September 20, 2026, taking 25.7 percent of the vote and more than doubling its 2023 result of 12.2 percent, according to preliminary official figures and an Infratest dimap projection. The result makes the party, led by lead candidate Elif Eralp, the strongest force in the capital for the first time. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) fell to second place with 18.8 percent, a loss of 9.4 points, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) rose to 16.3 percent. The Greens took 14.3 percent and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) dropped to 12.1 percent, its worst Berlin result. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) took 4.7 percent, short of the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament, though one report indicated the party narrowly cleared it. Final certification from the state returning officer remains outstanding. The result ends the governing CDU-SPD coalition's majority. Because the major parties rule out cooperation with the AfD and the CDU has excluded working with Die Linke, two three-party options remain: a Die Linke-Greens-SPD alliance, which would hold 95 of 158 seats, or a CDU-Greens-SPD arrangement with 82 seats.