Berlin: Germany's socialist Left Party was on track for a historic first-place finish in Berlin's state election Sunday, with lead candidate Elif Eralp hailing a result that could make her the capital's first governing mayor from a migrant background. German public broadcaster ARD's latest projection put the party at 25.6% - more than double its 12.2% result in the 2023 election - nearly seven points ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party at 18.9%.

According to Anadolu Agency, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party followed at 16.1%, the environmentalist Greens at 14.3%, and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) at 12.1%, according to a projection at 11.02 pm local time. The left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) stood at 4.7%, failing to clear the 5% threshold to enter the Berlin state parliament.