Left-wingers appoint Schirdewan and Rackete as top duo
The Left Party is entering the European election campaign with party leader Martin Schirdewan and non-party refugee and climate activist Carola Rackete as the leading duo. Rackete was elected to second place on the European election list by around 440 delegates at the party conference in Augsburg on Saturday evening with 77.8 percent approval. Schirdewan had previously been chosen as the top candidate with 86.9 percent.
While the 35-year-old Rackete had no rival candidate, the national chairman surprisingly had to run against another candidate. Bijan Tavassoli from Hamburg declared his candidacy and subsequently caused a scandal. Tavassoli used his speech to insult the party and praise Sahra Wagenknecht, who had recently left the Left Party. He then also declared his resignation from the party.
However, Tavassoli did not stand a chance in the candidate selection and only received around two percent of the vote before he was led out of the hall by security staff. The party presidium spoke of a "disruptive action", Schirdewan of an "unpleasant incident". Tavassoli had already attracted attention in the past with provocative actions.
Rackete's candidacy was met with great applause from many delegates. She became internationally known as the captain of the ship "Sea Watch 3", where she and her crew rescued refugees in distress at sea. In 2019, she docked on the island of Lampedusa despite a ban by the Italian authorities.
On the day before the election, Rackete caused displeasure among some on the left with an interview. She told the portal "Zeit Online" that the left should once again consistently distance itself from the SED past and come to terms with this time. Rackete later explained on X, formerly Twitter, that this was "an ill-considered statement". The Left had come to terms with its past, she explained. At the beginning of her candidacy speech, she once again distanced herself from her earlier statement: "I messed up."
Despite the disagreements and controversies during the nomination process, several party members who leaned to the left chose to support Rackete and Schirdewan for the European elections. Ultimately, some supporters of the far-right faction within the party decided to leave following the appointment of the new duo.
Source: www.dpa.com
