Berlin mayoral candidate faces coalition pressure after leaked interview notes

Elif Eralp, the Left Party candidate on course to become Berlin’s next mayor, is facing political pressure after internal comments from a Der Spiegel interview appeared to reveal concerns about her personal security and that of her family. According to DW, Eralp wrote during the interview’s approval process: “I can’t put myself and my family in danger for Der Spiegel.” She also reportedly asked colleagues whether the interview should be cancelled and said she should not have agreed to it. The dispute centred on a question about Ibrahim Ibrahim, a pro-Palestinian activist who attended a Left Party election celebration in Neukölln.

Ibrahim has been associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the European Union classifies as a terrorist organisation. He has previously described former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a “martyr” and “hero”, while rejecting accusations of antisemitism, terrorism support and backing Hamas. DW reported that Eralp initially answered “yes” when asked whether Ibrahim was the person she had in mind, but later crossed out the question in the transcript.

Notes left in the approved version said Berlin police had advised her not to comment publicly on specific individuals. Der Spiegel said it had initially considered not publishing the notes, citing Eralp’s security concerns, but decided their political importance outweighed those considerations. In Germany, interviewees commonly review and approve direct quotations before publication, making the accidental return of the edited document central to the controversy.

The episode has created difficulties for the Left Party as it prepares coalition talks with the Social Democrats and Greens next month. SPD figures Karl Lauterbach and Sebastian Fiedler urged their party to distance itself from an alliance with the Left Party. Green parliamentary leader Katharina Dröge also questioned whether Eralp could resist intimidation from figures close to criminal organisations.

Josef Schuster, chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said the SPD and Greens should not give the Left Party responsibility for Berlin’s government and the security of the Jewish community. Those comments reflected the broader argument by Eralp’s critics that the party has not sufficiently separated itself from alleged terrorist sympathisers and antisemitism. Eralp rejected what she called a “truly toxic debate”.

She declined to discuss the specifics of the Der Spiegel account but promised firm action against organised crime, groups that glorify violence, violence and terror, and said she would ensure the security of all Berliners. Veteran Left Party politician Bodo Ramelow also backed her and criticised Der Spiegel, although the supplied report ends before detailing his full response.