parties
Suddenly fighting spirit: Wissler enthusiastic left party congress
Janine Wissler (Die Linke), party leader, gives a statement before the start of the federal party conference at Messe Erfurt. Photo: Martin Schutt/dpa
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Dejected, the delegates from the left came to their party conference in Erfurt. The chairman Wissler was counted. But somehow everything suddenly looked a bit more optimistic.
Linke leader Janine Wissler seemed nervous and tense after weeks of debate about the future of her party. But the federal party conference received the chairman on Friday in the Erfurt exhibition center with almost overwhelming applause.
Wissler was speechless at first. Then she talked herself into a rage. Against injustice in Germany, against the traffic light policy, against the war in Ukraine, against the climate crisis. And against the constant disputes in their own party. “Let’s dare more socialism,” she shouted at the end. And got cheers.
That was not necessarily to be expected after weeks of hangover on the left. Because of electoral defeats, public discord and accusations of sexism, the party is in a deep crisis. Wissler’s co-chair Susanne Hennig-Wellsow resigned in exasperation. The approximately 570 delegates meet until Sunday to elect a new party leadership and to clarify contentious issues. Wissler herself is not without controversy – the election defeats are blamed on her. During the speech on Friday, she said: “I expected less applause, I honestly admit that.” But she seemed to get the comrades carried away.
Broadside against Wagenknecht
In doing so, Wissler clearly distinguished the left from the previously Russia-friendly course – a broadside against the former parliamentary group leader Sahra Wagenknecht. Regarding the Ukraine war, the party leader said: “The Russian leadership is responsible for this escalation. The criminal war of aggression cannot be justified by anything.”
At the same time, Wissler pleaded – also different from Wagenknecht – for a consistent climate change with social security. The traffic light won’t do it. “The impending climate catastrophe requires democratic intervention in the economy,” said Wissler. “We need the biggest investment program of all time.” That should take the place of the 100 billion program for the Bundeswehr, which the left rejects.
She demanded unity and a united appearance from her party. The left must not send contradicting signals. “Left-wing politics must provoke, polarize and exacerbate, always along “above” and “below” and never from “below” to “further down”,” cried the chairwoman.
allegations addressed aggressively
Wissler obviously collected points by aggressively addressing the accusations of sexism in her own Hessian state association and describing it as a weakness of the party. “I would like to sincerely apologize to all women to whom we have not been able to offer anything or little if they have been wronged,” she said. On the fringes of the party congress, she announced new sanctions against members of the party who are guilty of assaults.
The Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow was impressed by Wissler’s fighting spirit – he congratulated and then read his party the riot act. “The left has no right to deal with itself,” said Ramelow. After all, the left governs in four state governments – in Thuringia, Bremen, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Ramelow said it couldn’t be that she was freaking out and wasting time instead of fighting for people’s social issues.
The party says it has 60,000 members. The discussion about the internally very controversial position on Russia and the Ukraine war is expected for Saturday – as well as the board election. In addition to Wissler, opportunities for the new dual leadership will be given to the European politician Martin Schirdewan and the members of the Bundestag Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann.