Five candidates to watch in Berlin election

Berlin voters will elect a new local parliament on September 20, with the winning party expected to get the first chance to form a coalition and propose the German capital's next mayor.

The race is being watched beyond the city because of its possible impact on German national politics. Recent polls have put the centre-right CDU and the far-left Die Linke roughly level at around 20 percent.

Elif Eralp, Die Linke's lead candidate, has campaigned against high rents and pledged to expropriate apartment buildings owned by large corporate landlords. If her party finishes first, she is expected to seek a left-wing coalition with the Greens and the Social Democrats. Eralp, 45, was born in Munich to Turkish trade unionists and would be Berlin's first mayor with immigrant roots if chosen.

The CDU is running with Stefan Evers, Berlin's finance chief, after the party dropped outgoing mayor Kai Wegner late in the campaign amid a scandal over his handling of a winter blackout. Evers would likely need a three-party coalition with the SPD and Greens to become mayor.

The far-right Alternative for Germany is led by Kristin Brinker and has been polling at about 18 percent, around double its previous result. AFP reported that Brinker has campaigned on crime and immigration concerns, but no other party is expected to consider a coalition with the AfD.

Werner Graf leads the Greens, which are polling at about 16 percent and could become decisive in forming a governing majority. The SPD is led by Steffen Krach, who is facing an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving a public contract in Hanover, which he denies. The SPD has been polling at about 12 percent.