Left Party NRW hopes for a new beginning after Wagenknecht's resignation
The Left Party's federal campaign to renew the party has triggered a spirit of optimism in the state party in North Rhine-Westphalia. Around a week after the federal party conference in Augsburg, a spokeswoman for the NRW Left Party told the German Press Agency that there was a trend towards more people joining the party than leaving. A concrete evaluation is still being prepared.
Immediately after Sahra Wagenknecht and her supporters left the party in October, there were initially stronger fluctuations in the NRW Left. According to the party, more than 100 people had left the party by the time of the national party conference, but about the same number had also joined. The trend before the party conference was "rather negative", said the spokesperson. Now the situation is different.
Positive trend since the national party conference
"The national party conference in Augsburg was a signal to our members that things were about to change," said the state spokesperson for the NRW Left Party, Sascha H. Wagner, to the German Press Agency. Many former Left Party members or undecided members saw last weekend's party conference "as an invitation".
It is true that there is currently no influx in NRW as in the Berlin Left, said Wagner. Nevertheless, "a positive trend" has been discernible since the national party conference. "We are happy about every one of these members." The new comrades are welcomed personally at new member seminars.
Overall, the Left Party in NRW is recording declining membership figures. The number has fallen from 7500 at the beginning of this year to around 7000 regular members. In 2021, the NRW Left Party still had around 8,600 members. The Left Party has not been represented in the NRW state parliament for several years.
At the national party conference, the party leadership launched the "One Left for All" campaign to renew the party in order to win back voters. The campaign is intended to end the protracted internal disputes that culminated in the resignation of the ten members of the Bundestag around Wagenknecht.
The NRW state association had long stood by Wagenknecht, who was a member of the party and stood as the NRW Left's lead candidate in the 2021 federal election.
In light of the optimistic mood following the Left Party's federal renewal campaign, there have been fewer party members choosing to 'Leave' in North Rhine-Westphalia. Since the national party conference, there's been a notable 'Party' growth due to new members joining.
Source: www.dpa.com
