Political affairs - The MV Left views the election outcome as a calamity.
The recent European election saw Left Party BSW garnering three times the votes as the Left with a 16.4% score, causing Ritter to label the outcome a calamity. The major defeat of his party in the municipal polls also impacted the Left, as it undermined their local foundations.
Ritter interpreted the significant backing for AfD as a reflection of diminishing faith in democracy. "The AfD voters cast their ballots with intention," Ritter stated.
This former state parliamentarian also admitted to self-reproach. Despite a passionate campaign, he was unsuccessful in convincing voters in the state about the promises of the Left. The dismal election results made it unpalatable to carry on as the state party head with a clear conscience. However, Ritter clarified that he wouldn't step down immediately as he had no plans to attend the state party conference in mid-July.
The Left declined to 4.9% in the European election. In the municipal polls, this resulted in their worst performance with 8.8%.
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The calamitous outcome of the European elections resulted in the Left Party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania securing only 4.9% of the votes, significantly lower than their performance in local elections where they obtained 8.8%. Sahra Wagenknecht, a prominent figure in the party, expressed her concern over this downturn, viewing it as a disaster for their local foundations in Municipalities like Schwerin.
Meanwhile, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) managed to gain significant support in the European elections, an outcome that troubled Ritter, the then-state party head of the Left. Ritter opined that the support for AfD was a symptom of diminishing faith in democracy, with AfD voters casting their ballots with clear intention.
The poor election results led Ritter to express self-reproach, as he failed to effectively communicate the promises of the Left to voters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Consequently, he decided that continuing as the state party head with a clear conscience was not an option, despite refraining from stepping down immediately before the state party conference in mid-July.
This string of disappointing election results in Schwerin and beyond has left the Left Party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania facing a challenging time, which analysts link to a wider decline in Left Party support in the European elections.
