Additionally, after his electoral victory, Issa Remmo, identified as the head of the Remmo clan, appeared at the party uninvited, according to Elif Eralp herself
The triumph of the far-left in the German capital was sealed with an image that encapsulates the deep cultural crisis the country is going through: supporters and activists of the Left Party (Die Linke) celebrated their electoral victory in Berlin by dancing to Arab music. The political vector of this communist advance is embodied by the lead candidate of Die Linke, Elif Eralp, aged 45. Elif Eralp is a leader of Muslim faith whose political style and campaign strategy have been directly compared to that of Zohran Mamdani in New York.
Leading the rise of left-wing extremism in the capital, the candidate articulated her speech around the promise of building a "red metropolis", promoting proposals such as imposing rent caps, the expropriation of large real estate conglomerates like Deutsche Wohnen & Co, affordable public transport, and community kitchens.
The celebration to the rhythm of Arab music had its epicenter in the district of Neukölln, where the festivity turned into a serious political and institutional scandal due to the presence of organized crime. During the event, Issa Remmo, identified by the press as the head of the famous Remmo clan, the Lebanese mafia in Germany, made a personal appearance.
At the venue, Issa Remmo gave exclusive statements to the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, where he claimed to feel "for the first time supported by a party" in Germany and publicly defended Die Linke against accusations of antisemitism. Additionally, alongside the mafia leader was Ibrahim Ibrahim, an activist noted for his open support of the terrorist organization PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and for his anti-Israel activism.
The incident sparked immediate outrage. MEP and journalist Hermann Tertsch harshly denounced the presence of this figure from the criminal underworld of Berlin at the left's celebrations. Meanwhile, the mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, described Remmo's appearance as a worrying sign and demanded explanations, stating that any party wishing to govern must make it clear that "there is no closeness to structures linked to organized crime". In response to the criticisms, spokespeople for Die Linke claimed it was an uncontrolled public event and stated that "we were unaware of the person and their specific presence". For her part, Elif Eralp asserted that the mafia boss was not on the guest list and that he was expelled from the venue.
Friedrich Merz
In electoral terms, Die Linke managed to establish itself as the leading force in the capital with 25.8% of the votes, doubling its previous performance and surpassing the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Stefan Evers, which fell to second place with 18.8% or 20%. In the breakdown, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) reached 16% or 13.8%, The Greens obtained 14.4% or 15.4%, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Steffen Krach sank to 12%. Additionally, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) approached the threshold with 4.7%, while the Free Democratic Party (FDP) fell to 2.5%.
This victory in Berlin deepens the political earthquake at the federal level for the 3.8 million voters called to the polls. In the parallel election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD won with 37.8% / 38.2%, while the CDU suffered a historic collapse, plummeting to 4.9% / 5.1%. The magnitude of the setback forced Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) to cancel his trip to the UN General Assembly in New York after openly acknowledging that the situation "is a disaster".
