Elif Eralp: My Left-Wing Seat Is Empty

A Turkish love song has followed Elif Eralp throughout her life. Her mother sang it to her as a child, the family played it at home as she grew older, and recently an uncle sent it to her again in a message.

“ Elif, Elif,” the song repeats. It is a love song, and Eralp tells the story outside a Turkish bakery in Berlin-Kreuzberg on a cool, sunny morning. She had planned to meet the bakery’s owner, who must close the business after many years because the building is due to be renovated.

The owner is ill, however, giving Eralp time to talk about the election campaign. The left-wing politician wants to become Berlin’s mayor. Her campaign on rents has put her ahead in the Berlin race, according to the article, but her path would be easier without the extremists in her party.

The article asks whether Eralp can govern with the Left despite internal conflicts. Her interest in the bakery also places the campaign in a local setting, where preserving a long-standing neighborhood business has become an immediate concern.