Elif Eralp backs lifting Berlin’s headscarf ban

Elif Eralp backs lifting Berlin’s headscarf ban and fighting racism

Elif Eralp, Germany’s Left Party candidate for Berlin mayor, pledged to lift the headscarf ban in public institutions and fight racism after the Berlin state parliament elections on September 20. Eralp said Palestinians and Muslims needed stronger representation and listed reducing rents and the cost of living among her priorities.

Scraper SystemSeptember 23, 2026, 02:42 PM

Elif Eralp backs lifting Berlin’s headscarf ban and fighting racism

Elif Eralp, the Left Party’s candidate for Berlin mayor who finished ahead in the Berlin state parliament elections, said after the vote that they would fight racism and discrimination and aimed to lift the ban on wearing headscarves in public institutions.

Eralp said she had not expected the result of the elections held on September 20. She said she had received support from different sections of society, in addition to the trust placed in her by Berlin residents. She added that she was particularly pleased by the support from voters with migrant backgrounds.

Call for stronger representation for Palestinians and Muslims

Eralp said combating racism and discrimination would be one of the key priorities in Berlin politics. Saying that people with migrant backgrounds had contributed to the city’s development, Eralp said they needed to be more visible both in society and in political life.

Eralp said she believed Palestinians and Muslims were not adequately represented in Germany, adding that politics needed to see and represent all sections of society. She called for a shared political approach that included Muslims, Palestinians and Jews and was based on human rights.

Eralp rejected accusations of antisemitism directed at her party, as well as claims that it had faced pressure from the government over the issue. She said her political approach aimed to include all components of society.

Childhood experiences shaped her views

Eralp said her interest in racism and justice dated back to her childhood and youth, adding that she had witnessed racist attacks and incidents in Germany in the 1990s. She said that, as her family came from a migrant background of Turkish origin, she had worried that they too might face similar incidents. Eralp said these experiences had influenced the formation of her political outlook.

Rents and cost of living on Berlin’s agenda

Eralp said the issues Berlin residents raised most frequently during the election campaign were high housing rents and the rising cost of living. She said residents were struggling to maintain a good standard of living as life became more expensive, despite working and paying taxes.

Eralp said they wanted to reduce rents and ensure that everyone living in Berlin could maintain their lives under better conditions. She listed reducing the cost of living among her political priorities.

Received support from her family throughout the campaign

Eralp said her family had provided her with both financial and moral support during the election campaign. She said her mother had helped care for the children during the campaign and that family members in Türkiye had also supported her and prayed for her. Eralp thanked her relatives.

Elif Eralp backs lifting Berlin’s headscarf ban and fighting racism