Ferat Koçak
Ferat Koçak | |
---|---|
![]() Koçak in 2022 | |
Member of the Bundestag for Berlin-Neukölln | |
Assumed office 23 February 2025 | |
Preceded by | Hakan Demir |
Member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin for Neukölln 5 | |
Assumed office 26 September 2021 | |
Preceded by | Robbin Juhnke |
Personal details | |
Born | West Berlin, West Germany | 26 May 1979
Political party | Die Linke |
Education | Free University of Berlin |
Website | Ferat Koçak - Die Linke Fraktion Berlin |
Ferat Koçak is a German politician of Kurdish origins[1] and member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin for The Left since 2021. He represents a district including Neukolln. He has received several threats from right-wing groups including NSU 2.0.[2]
In the 2025 federal election, Koçak stood as a direct candidate in the Berlin-Neukölln constituency.[3] Early results indicated he won the seat by over 10 percent,[4] with journalist Ruairí Casey attributing this to a massive door-knocking campaign.[5] Koçak declared victory that night.[6]
Early life
[edit]Koçak grew up in West Berlin as the grandchild of Kurdish guest workers from Anatolia.
He studied economics at the Free University of Berlin and graduated with a degree in economics. Koçak then worked for the Allianz Group, first as a trainee and then, after successfully completing his exams, in management. He then worked as a marketing director with a focus on digital marketing at the Berliner Hochschule für Technik (BHT) and at other universities, and later as a campaigner at Campact.
Political career
[edit]Koçak was raised by his parents in left-wing Kurdish and Turkish circles in Berlin. He joined The Left in 2016 due to the rise of right-wing groups, particularly the far-right Alternative for Germany, which he and his friends wanted to help fight. In the 2016 Berlin state election, Koçak stood for The Left in the Neukölln 6 constituency of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin. He managed to double the share of the vote for his party compared to the last election, but he failed to gain a seat in the Abgeordnetenhaus.
Legislative service
[edit]In the 2021 Berlin state election, Koçak ran for the Abgeordnetenhaus again in the Neukölln 5 constituency, and was elected via the Left Party's state list. He was re-elected to the Abgeordnetenhaus in the 2023 repeat election.
Koçak is the spokesman for The Left's parliamentary group on the topics of anti-fascist politics as well as refugee and climate policy. He is a member of the Committees for the Interior, Security and Order as well as the Environment and Climate Protection. He is a deputy member of the Committee for the Protection of the Constitution.[7] He is also an assessor of the Presidium of the Abgeordnetenhaus.[8]
Regarding the war in Gaza, Koçak believes that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians.[9]
In the 2025 federal election, he ran as a direct candidate for The Left in the Berlin-Neukölln constituency[10] and won a direct mandate for the party.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Linken-Politiker Ferat Kocak - "Die Spur des NSU 2.0 führt bis nach Neukölln"". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). 22 July 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "German politician kept in dark over far-right threat: report – DW – 03/18/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Heflik, Katharina (9 January 2025). "Die Neuwahl verspricht einige spannende Duelle: Hier sind Berlins Direktkandidaten".
- ^ a b "Germany Election Results". decisiondeskhq.com. Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ Casey, Ruairí [@Ruairi_Casey] (23 February 2025). "Die Linke ran a massive ground campaign in Neukölln, knocking on every door in the district" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Koçak, Ferat [@der_neukoellner] (23 February 2025). "Wir haben gewonnen - Neukölln strikes back!" (Tweet) (in German) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ferat Koçak, MdA". 1 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Das Präsidium" (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ Markus Ströhlein. "Bedenken second" (in German). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Berliner Linke wählt Landesliste und startet in den Wahlkampf". Retrieved 31 December 2024.