Parties - A change of leadership is in the offing for the Left Party
At the left, a leadership change is taking shape in the fall. Martin Schirdewan and Janine Wissler have clearly stated that they are not glued to their chairs, it was said on Sunday after a crisis meeting of the party executive with the state chairpersons in Berlin. A working group should prepare a plan for content, strategic, and personnel alignments with a focus on the federal party conference in Halle in October. It is important that the process is orderly, it was said from party circles.
The Left received only 2.7 percent of the votes in the European election at the beginning of June - about half as many as five years ago. The party had already performed poorly in the federal election 2021 and subsequent state elections. This week, the former fraction leaders Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch called for a "structural, political, and personnel renewal." The Saxony-Anhalt fraction leader Eva von Angern urged Wissler and Schirdewan not to stand for re-election at the party conference.
Criticism also for the critics
Wissler and Schirdewan have led the party since 2022. Schirdewan had recently hinted that he was considering stepping down at the party conference. During the weekend's meeting, there were self-critical sounds from the party chairpersons and state chairpersons that programmatic clarification processes had been left unresolved, it was said. However, criticism was also leveled that Bartsch and his followers had ignited a personnel debate in public.
The Left had lost one of its most prominent politicians, Sahra Wagenknecht, after years of internal conflict in October 2023. She founded her own party, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, and received 6.2 percent of the votes in the European election from scratch. A large part of the votes came from former Left voters.
The leadership change in The Left, set for the fall, involves Martin Schirdewan and Janine Wissler, who have made it clear they are not committed to their roles perpetually, as mentioned during a crisis meeting in Berlin on Sunday. The party executive and state chairpersons discussed the need for a working group to develop a strategy and alignment plan, focusing on the federal party conference in Halle in October.
Following poor performances in the European elections and subsequent state elections, The Left only managed to garner 2.7% of the votes, significantly lower than five years prior. The call for renewal, including structural, political, and personnel changes, came from former fraction leaders Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch this week.
Despite leading The Left since 2022, Schirdewan and Wissler have faced criticism for not resolving programmatic clarification processes, as acknowledged by the party chairpersons and state chairpersons during the weekend meeting. Furthermore, criticism was directed at Bartsch and his followers for initiating a public personnel debate.
The Left experienced a significant loss in 2023 after Sahra Wagenknecht, one of its prominent politicians, departed and founded her own party, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht. The alliance managed to secure 6.2% of the votes in the European elections, largely due to support from former Left voters.
The process of leadership change and renewal is considered vital by party circles to ensure a smooth and organized transition, which is essential for the party's future outlook in Germany. This new direction will be further discussed and solidified during the party conference in Halle in October.
After revealing his intentions to consider stepping down at the party conference, Schirdewan's potential departure opens up possibilities for fresh faces in German Left-wing politics, which could bring change and innovations to the party's strategy and message.
