Elif Eralp
Elif Eralp | |
|---|---|
 Eralp in 2025 | |
| Member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin | |
| Assumed office 4 November 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1981 (age 44–45) |
| Party | Die Linke (since 2017) |
Elif Eralp (born 1981) is a German politician serving as a member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin since 2021.[1] She has served as deputy group leader of Die Linke since 2024, and as deputy state chair of the party since 2025.[2] She is the party's lead candidate in the 2026 Berlin state election.[3]
Early life and education
Eralp's parents, who were politically active trade unionists in Turkey, fled to Germany in September 1980 due to political persecution following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. Eralp was born in Munich shortly thereafter. She grew up there and later in Dortmund, where her father worked as a doctor. At the age of eight, the family moved to Altona, Hamburg, where she completed her schooling.[4]
After graduating from high school, Eralp studied law at the University of Hamburg from 2001 to 2007. She completed her studies with the First State Examination in Law. She then completed her legal traineeship, which included placements at the Hamburg District Court, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Berlin, the German Embassy in Ottawa, and a law firm specializing in immigration and asylum law. In 2009, she completed her legal training with the Second State Examination in Law in Hamburg.[4]
Political career
Eralp has been politically active since her youth, including environmental activism and supporting Castor transport blockades in the Wendland region. In 2010, she moved to Berlin and began working as a legal policy advisor for the "Civil Rights and Democracy" working group of Die Linke's parliamentary group. She joined the party in 2017, where she was first elected to the state executive committee at the 7th state party conference of the Berlin state association in December 2018, and first elected deputy state chair at the 10th state party conference in May 2025. In addition to her party involvement, Eralp is also active in initiatives against racism and gentrification and for affordable housing for all. Among other things, she was involved in the migrant association Allmende e.V.[4]
In mid-2019, Eralp, together with her state executive committee colleagues Hamze Bytyci, Ferat Koçak, and Belma Bekos, founded the nationwide alliance Links*Kanax, which advocates, among other things, for greater inclusion of party members who have experienced racism. The alliance successfully campaigned for the establishment of a volunteer anti-discrimination office for those who experience discrimination within the party. Eralp and her colleagues also championed a diversity committee to develop strategies and concepts for organizing and engaging more people with a migrant background within the party.[5]
In 2021, the Berlin branch of Die Linke nominated Eralp for a direct mandate in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg 2 constituency and for the promising seventh spot on the state list for the 2021 Berlin state election.[6] One of the goals of the state party and its chairwoman, Katina Schubert, was to include "new faces" among the top ten candidates on the list.[5] Eralp cited the far-right extremist Hanau shootings in 2020 as one of her motivations for running.[5] Various media outlets reported on Eralp's door-to-door campaigning in her constituency, which has a large immigrant population.[7] Although she lost to incumbent Green candidate Marianne Burkert-Eulitz with 28.5% of the vote against 38.5%, her seventh place on the state list nevertheless allowed her to enter the Berlin House of Representatives, where she joined Die Linke's faction.[8] She was re-elected in 2023.[9]
Personal life
Eralp is married and a mother of two children.
References
- ↑ "Elif Eralp". Parliamentwatch (in German).
- ↑ "Elif Eralp, Linke" (in German). Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.
- ↑ "Elif Eralp soll Berliner Linke in den Wahlkampf führen". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 9 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Elif Eralp – Ein Berlin für Alle!" (in German). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- 1 2 3 Claudia Krieg (24 April 2021). "Eine diversere Berliner Linke". neues deutschland (in German). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ↑ "C. Landeslisten: Liste Nr. 3: BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN (GRÜNE)" (PDF). berlin.de. 2021. p. 3094. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ↑ Luise Sammann (30 August 2021). "Von Tür zu Tür in Berlin-Kreuzberg - Parteien entdecken Zuwanderer als Wähler". Länderreport (in German). Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Retrieved 6 October 2021. Valerie Dörner (21 September 2021). ""Das Herz der Leute gewinnt man nur an der Tür"". n-tv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ↑ "Elif Eralp - Profil bei abgeordnetenwatch.de" (in German). Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ↑ "Gewählte Wiederholungswahl zum 19. Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin am Sonntag, dem 12. Februar 2023 (Hauptwahl vom 26.09.2021) in Berlin". wahlen-berlin.de. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
External links
Media related to Elif Eralp at Wikimedia Commons