Bundestag - Left after Karlsruhe ruling: "We will remain in the Bundestag"
The Left Party is relieved after the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on the partial rerun of the Bundestag elections. "The ruling makes it clear that we will remain in the Bundestag and continue to perform our role as the social opposition," former parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch told the German Press Agency on Tuesday.
The Federal Constitutional Court had ruled that the 2021 Bundestag election in the state of Berlin would have to be partially repeated due to numerous glitches - but not across the board. This affects 455 out of 2256 constituencies.
This partial rerun cannot fundamentally change the result in the two constituencies in which the Left Party won direct mandates, said Bartsch. As a result, the directly elected MPs in Berlin, Gesine Lötzsch and Gregor Gysi, as well as Leipzig MP Sören Pellmann will remain in the Bundestag. This in turn secures the seats of all 39 MPs who still belong to the Left Party today, as well as those who have since left, including the group around Sahra Wagenknecht.
If the election had been repeated in full, a different scenario would have emerged: One of the direct mandates could then have been lost and with it all the seats of the Left Party and the Wagenknecht group that were allocated via lists in 2021. The party has now been spared this. "This means a small but important hurdle has been overcome," said Bartsch. The next step is now the recognition of the 28 remaining Left Party MPs as a separate group.
Martin Schirdewan, Federal Chairman of the Left Party, explained: "Berlin now has clarity. There will be a winter election campaign, but only a small one." The Left Party will do everything in its power to achieve the strongest possible result. "The Berlin state association is waiting in the wings and we will mobilize strongly as a federal party," said Schirdewan. He saw it as a positive sign that the party had recently registered 800 new members in Berlin.
However, the Left Party has suffered a series of electoral setbacks and had to cope with the split of Wagenknecht and her supporters. In the 2021 federal election, the Left Party received 11.4% of the second votes in Berlin, 7.3 percentage points less than in 2017.
Announcement of the court Negotiation breakdown Decision of the Bundestag Information from the Bundestag on the topic Announcement of the court
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- The Bundestag's Left faction celebrates a victory following the Federal Constitutional Court's decision on the partial repetition of the 2021 Bundestag elections.
- Dietmar Bartsch, former leader of the Left Party's parliamentary group, welcomed the court ruling, assuring that they will continue their role in the Bundestag as the social opposition.
- The court determined that the Berlin Bundestag election required a partial rerun due to technical issues in 455 out of 2256 constituencies, but not city-wide.
- Martin Schirdewan, the Left Party's Federal Chairman, acknowledged the clear path forward for the Berlin election, emphasizing a strong campaign to achieve the best possible result.
- The German Press Agency reported that the Left Party is elated by the court decision, as a full rerun could potentially result in losing the party's seats in Berlin, significantly affecting their overall representation in the Bundestag.
- Gesine Lötzsch and Gregor Gysi, directly elected MPs for the Left Party in Berlin, along with Sören Pellmann from Leipzig, will retain their seats in the Bundestag, thanks to the court's partial rerun decision.
- The Left Party underwent several electoral setbacks and faced internal strife after the departure of Sahra Wagenknecht and her supporters, with the 2021 federal election results showing a significant decrease in support.
- Despite these challenges, the Left Party continues to engage in electoral activities in Berlin, aiming to build momentum before the upcoming winter election campaign, with a recently observed surge in party membership registrations as a positive sign.
Source: www.stern.de
