Status: 12/10/2022 7:06 a.m
The past few months have been difficult for the left. There were repeated arguments, and the party was unable to enter parliament in several state elections. Now the federal chairmen want to close the ranks.
In the past few weeks and months, the left has made a name for itself primarily with disunity. This weekend, the federal executive board is advising together with the leaders of the parliamentary groups and the chairmen of state associations and parliamentary groups in Leipzig in order to set a course for the coming months.
“We will make it clear at the weekend in Leipzig: The Left is a historic achievement that we will defend and develop in the face of the crises,” said Federal Chairman Martin Schirdewan. “We stand together for a policy of social justice that fights for peace and climate protection and shows a clear edge against the right.”
Vortex about Wagenknecht
In particular, the former parliamentary group leader Sahra Wagenknecht had repeatedly criticized the party leadership and even indicated that she wanted to found a new party. On some issues, she takes a different view from the majority of the party.
With regard to the sanctions against Russia because of the war of aggression against Ukraine, she accused the federal government of starting an economic war. Many Left Party members found this strange. Some want Wagenknecht to leave the party. Federal chairmen Schirdewan and Janine Wissler, however, swear by the unity of the party.
Multiple electoral defeats
The left has also suffered some electoral defeats this year. In Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony she did not make it into the state parliament. In last year’s federal elections, it received only 4.9 percent and is only represented in parliamentary group size because three candidates won direct mandates.
The “hot autumn” proclaimed by the party, in which to protest against the policies of the federal government, remained rather lukewarm. The party leadership argues, however, that some of their demands have been taken up in federal politics – such as the gas and electricity price brakes.