The German intelligence agency has launched an investigation into contacts between the party's top candidate, Elif Eralp, and groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a designated terrorist organization.[8131106][8046857] Eralp, the leader of the left-wing party's Berlin faction, was accused of meeting with representatives of a group deemed by authorities to be a front for the banned Workers' Party of Kurdistan.[8131106][8046857] The investigation follows a series of reports by German media outlets suggesting Eralp had ties to the group during her campaign for the party leadership.[8131106][8046857] The German intelligence agency is scrutinizing whether Eralp's interactions with the group constituted a breach of national security laws.[8131106][8046857]