Germany’s political extremes surge: Left wins Berlin as AfD takes eastern state

Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, warned that Die Linke’s strong performance in Berlin should concern anyone invested in preserving Jewish life in the capital.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Germany’s political center suffered a major setback on Sunday as the far-left Die Linke won Berlin and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) captured Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, delivering historic gains for parties on the political margins and raising fears that the political shift could threaten Jewish life across the country.

Die Linke recorded its strongest-ever result in a Berlin state election, finishing first with 25.7 percent of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous election, in a stunning surge for the party in the German capital.

Germany’s governing coalition, led by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), finished second in the capital, while the AfD came in third with roughly 16 percent—its strongest-ever showing in a Berlin state election.

In an already tense and highly polarized political climate, these latest results are putting Germany’s governing parties under renewed pressure, exposing growing frustration with the country’s political establishment.

Die Linke’s victory has also brought fresh scrutiny over the party’s ties to anti-Israel activists and allegations of antisemitism among its members, while fueling growing fears over what its rise could mean for the future of Berlin’s Jewish community.

Experts have repeatedly warned that Die Linke’s rise could usher in a major shift in Berlin politics, with the party’s leader, Elif Eralp—who could become the city’s first mayor of Turkish origin—drawing comparisons to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over her anti-capitalist agenda, anti-Israel positions, and antisemitic rhetoric.

Party co-chair Ines Schwerdtner has rejected growing accusations of antisemitism within Die Linke, insisting that the party’s criticism of Israel and support for the Palestinians should not be conflated with hostility toward Jews.

“While we want to confront the real problem of antisemitism, it must remain possible to criticize the Israeli government and military,” the German lawmakers said.

“War crimes must be addressed just as seriously as the very real antisemitism and hatred of Jews in Germany.”

With the latest election results, Die Linke is now seeking to form a coalition with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens, a three-way alliance that would have enough seats to govern Berlin.

If the coalition were formed, Die Linke would lead the capital for the first time.

Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, warned that Die Linke’s strong performance in Berlin should concern anyone invested in preserving Jewish life in the capital, saying the result turns what had been a theoretical concern for the city’s Jewish community into “a concrete and immediate existential danger.”

“The completely unrestrained antisemitism that has emerged within this party is taking on a new political dimension as it rises to become the strongest political force,” the Israeli diplomat said.

“We are long past the point of talking about isolated slip-ups. This is a pattern. Red lines are being crossed again and again.”

Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, also warned that the political shift could mark a dangerous new chapter for Jewish life in Germany, as antisemitism increasingly enters the political mainstream.

“In the fight against hatred of Jews, which this party tolerates within its ranks and allows to be expressed openly, the Left Party has lost all credibility,” Schuster said in a statement.

With antisemitism fueling growing tensions across Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also condemned the rise in anti-Jewish hatred, particularly in Berlin, reaffirming his commitment to protecting Jewish life by every means necessary.

“This is a disgrace for Germany, and I will do everything in my power to bring it under control and push it back,” the German leader said.

“The fact that Jewish life is no longer safe in our country is the greatest burden we have faced in recent years. This should be a matter of deep concern for every democratic party in Germany.”

In another major gain for the right, the AfD won 38.2 percent of the vote this weekend in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northeastern Germany, reinforcing its strong electoral presence across the country’s eastern states.

Merz’s CDU fell short of the 5 percent threshold for state parliament, shutting the party out of the legislature for the first time and delivering its poorest state election result in the postwar period.

Earlier this month, the AfD—which Germany’s domestic intelligence service classifies as a right-wing extremist group—recorded its strongest-ever regional result in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

With its historic victory, the party fell narrowly short of the majority required to establish the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.

This weekend’s electoral results underscored Germany’s growing political pull toward opposite ends of the spectrum, with the AfD expanding its strength across the east and Die Linke making historic gains in the capital at the expense of the country’s traditional center-left and center-right parties.

The twin breakthroughs are reshaping Germany’s political landscape, complicating coalition-building, and raising fresh questions about the durability of the party alignments that have defined the country’s postwar politics, less than three years before the next federal election in 2029.