Parties - The Left is preparing a change of leadership
At the left, a leadership change is looming in the fall. Martin Schirdewan and Janine Wissler, the party chairpersons, have made it clear that they are not sticking to their chairs, according to Sunday's crisis meeting of the federal executive committee with the state chairpersons of the party. 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's important to ensure a proper process, it was emphasized from party circles.
The Left received only 2.7% of the votes in the European election at the beginning of June - roughly half as many as five years ago. "The result of the European election was a heavy blow for the Left," states a resolution following the weekend's debriefing on the electoral defeat. "In summary, we must acknowledge: Our election strategy did not succeed."
The Left had performed poorly in the federal election of 2021 and subsequent state elections. For a long time, criticism of the federal executive board has come not only from outside but also from the parliamentary fraction. In recent days, former fraction leaders Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch have called for "structural, political, and personnel renewal." Saxony-Anhalt's fraction leader Eva von Angern urged Wissler and Schirdewan not to stand for re-election at the party conference.
No clear positions emerging
The two have been co-chairing the party since 2022. Previously, Wissler had served for a good year with Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, who resigned in April 2022. Schirdewan had previously hinted that he was considering stepping down in the fall. During the weekend's meeting, there were self-critical remarks from the party chairpersons and state chairpersons about unresolved clarification processes.
The resolution summarizes the weaknesses: The Left had tried to make social justice a central issue, as well as climate justice, peace, refugee policy, and criticism of arms politics. However, foreign policy and migration dominated the media debate. Representatives of the Left were unable to break through.
The BSW as "part of a rightward development"
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 for Sahra Wagenknecht, and received 6.2% of the votes from nowhere.
Approximately 430,000 votes from the BSW came from the Left, as stated in the resolution. 86% of BSW voters found it good that the new party advocated for more social issues and less immigration. The BSW was able to tap into right-leaning sentiments in the population and thus became "part of the overall societal rightward development."
In the future, the Left should "more clearly formulate how a humane migration policy appears as an alternative to a closure policy." The party must also become more visible in peace politics. The Left must strengthen social justice as a core theme and sharpen its demands. The party plans to examine the changes in its electorate more closely, learn from successful left parties in Europe, and network better with left movements and organizations in Germany. A "dialogue offensive" should begin over the summer.
Criticism of the critics
The resolution also contains criticism of the critics. The Left accuses the media of focusing on the party's weaknesses and ignoring its successes. The party also criticizes the "right-wing populist" BSW for trying to "demonize" the Left and for "misrepresenting" its positions. The Left accuses the BSW of "manipulating" the electorate and "exploiting" fears and anxieties. The party calls on the media to report more fairly and to provide a more balanced view of the political landscape.
The criticism of Bartsch and Gysi was met with disapproval by the attendees of the crisis meeting. It was not acceptable that Bartsch and his supporters had instigated a public personality debate, according to party circles.
Bartsch had long tried to prevent the secession of Wagenknecht and secure the faction status of the Left in the Bundestag. According to the resolution on Sunday, many questions remained unanswered for this reason. "In the end, we appeared to many potential voters as inconsistent or unclear in our profile."
- At the upcoming fall leadership change within The Left, Martin Schirdewan and Janine Wissler have announced their departure, as discussed during Sunday's crisis meeting with federal and state party leaders.
- The Left experienced a significant drop in votes during the European elections in June, receiving only 2.7%, significantly lower than five years prior.
- Following the European election results, a resolution was passed acknowledging the failed election strategy and the need for changes in content, strategy, and personnel before the party conference in Halle in October.
- Former fraction leaders Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch have recently called for structural, political, and personnel renewals within the party, echoing criticisms from both inside and outside the parliamentary fraction.
- Saxony-Anhalt's fraction leader Eva von Angern urged Wissler and Schirdewan to refrain from seeking re-election at the party conference, prompting self-critical remarks about unresolved clarification processes during the weekend's meeting.
- The resolution outlines several weaknesses in The Left's strategy, such as prioritizing social and climate justice while failing to break through in media debates on foreign policy and migration.
- The Bundestag's BSW party lost one of its prominent figures, Sahra Wagenknecht, who founded her own party, the Alliance for Sahra Wagenknecht, in October 2023.
- The BSW diverted votes from The Left, shifting to right-leaning sentiments in the population and becoming an apparent symbol of the general societal rightward development.
- The Left has planned to strengthen its focus on humane migration policy as an alternative to closure policies, improve its visibility in peace politics, and revive social justice as a central theme.
- Critics of The Left, including Bartsch and Gysi, faced disapproval from the crisis meeting attendees, with concerns about instigating a public personality debate and potentially harming the party's image.
