Berliners shift to the left
The Left Party under lead candidate Elif Eralp secured a clear victory in Berlin's state elections on Sunday, claiming around 26 percent of the vote. Mathematically, a red-red-green coalition led by The Left Party is now a possibility. What would that mean for Germany's capital and for Europe?
Eralp stands for the beginning of a new chapter
The rise of migrant politicians is quietly but fundamentally changing the balance of power in Europe, T24 observes:
“The Berlin election result has not only altered the political landscape of Germany's capital but has also opened a new chapter in a much larger story. Elif Eralp, the daughter of a family who fled Turkey for political reasons, has made her party, Die Linke, the strongest force in the Berlin election with 25.7 percent of the vote. ... This does not mean that anti-immigrant sentiment has disappeared. The rise of the far right continues in parallel. Europe is experiencing two opposed movements simultaneously: while political forces that regard migration as a threat are gaining influence, politicians with a migrant background are leading cities, states and governments.”
Antisemitism hindering formation of new government
Der Standard draws attention to a serious problem within the Left Party:
“Many of its members are highly critical of Israel. They see themselves as supporters of the Palestinians, which is a legitimate stance and cannot be held against them in principle. What is unacceptable, however, are the calls for violence, for instance when party members in Berlin's Neukölln district talk of killing Israeli soldiers and no one from the party intervenes. ... Eralp wants lower rents, cheaper public transport and less rubbish in the city. Many Berliners have given her a mandate for these goals. But if she fails to get a grip on the antisemitism within her party, she will be unable to implement any of them for lack of coalition partners.”
A strong signal for Europe
The success of the Left Party could give the European left as a whole a new lease of life, argues German studies scholar Guillaume Beringer in Le Monde:
“The Left Party's reorientation and its victory in Berlin send a strong signal to the entire European left. They show that it is possible to reconcile radical agendas with political realism. ... By prioritising practical issues (housing, wages, healthcare) over internal disputes and by placing the collective above the charismatic leader, The Left has succeeded where many have failed: it has become relevant once more. ... If The Left manages to implement its plans on rent policy and govern over the long term, it could well pave the way for a new spring for the left – far beyond Germany's borders.”
Left Party must prove itself now
Now the Left Party faces the difficult task of actually governing, Krytyka Polityczna observes:
“For years, the European left has seemed to have more patience with theories about society than with society itself. Berlin's left has turned this on its head. Instead of explaining to people why they should be on the left, it asked what their concerns were – and tried to offer a left-wing interpretation of these issues. ... Die Linke has poached tens of thousands of voters from the Greens and the SPD and has also managed to mobilise many non-voters. ... But it will now be far more difficult to ensure that political change actually makes a difference to the wallets, homes and everyday lives of those who voted for it.”
Counterpoint to neo-fascism
News website In welcomes the outcome:
“The election in Berlin has shown that there is another path. That neo-fascism can be countered not with variants of centre-right politics that merely complement the economic neoliberalism that lies at the heart of the social discontent, bolstered by authoritarian, anti-democratic and far-right positions, but with a radical, progressive and democratic stance. One that brought major social issues such as the housing crisis to the fore, that opposed racism and xenophobia, and that did not shy away from criticising the German government for its support of Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip.”
Another few years of chaos and incompetence
Seznam Zprávy does not believe there will be any groundbreaking changes in the German capital:
“Roughly one in four Berliners had either the courage or the desperation to vote for the successor party to the SED – the party that headed the tyrannical East German regime and sealed off the German city with a wall and barbed wire. ... However, the victory in Berlin has not given the left enough power to pose a threat to Europe. Even its outlandish proposals such as the nationalisation of homes owned by institutional investors give little cause for concern. For political, technical and financial reasons, they will never be implemented. Berliners will probably have to brace themselves for nothing more than a few more years of chaos and incompetence.”