German Left hails Mamdani win as good omen for Berlin mayoral vote

Far-left party of Germany has welcomed the victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, saying it boosts their own chances of coming first in Berlin next year.

“His campaign is like a blueprint for next year’s elections in Berlin,” said Jan van Aken, leader of The Left, a hard-left fringe party that has seen a surge in support over the past year.

“Zohran Mamdani’s victory gives us momentum,” van Aken said.

Left-leaning Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist, is set to become the first Muslim mayor of New York, after he came out on top with more than 50% in Tuesday’s vote.

The 34-year-old, who will also be one of the youngest mayors ever elected in the Big Apple, has promised to tackle New York’s soaring cost of living, promising rent controls alongside free buses and childcare, funded by higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Germany’s hard-left party has closely been following his steep rise to the top, with The Left co-leader Ines Schwerdtner recently travelling to New York to watch him on the campaign trail.

“Today is a day to celebrate,” Schwerdtner said on Wednesday.

Van Aken drew parallels between the New York race and the upcoming elections in Berlin, with the city set to vote on a new state parliament on September 20 next year.

“The problems faced by people in New York are very similar to those we hear about here in our own country,” he said. “Rents are unaffordable and the prices of food, electricity, heating and local transport are rising faster than wages.”

Bird flu has spread across all of Germany

A current bird flu outbreak gripping Germany is affecting almost the entire country, officials said on Friday, as the agricultural minister called for protective measures to be ramped up.

The highly contagious subtype H5N1 of the avian influenza virus has been confirmed in dead wild birds in all of Germany’s 16 federal states expect in the city state of Bremen.