Political party
The left-wing faction in the Bundestag decides on its own end
The left-wing faction in the Bundestag has decided to dissolve. photo
© Christoph Soeder/dpa
After 18 years it’s over: The left faction, which started as a hopeful alliance of the PDS and WASG, is now falling apart again. The Left is likely to continue as a parliamentary group in the future – just like the new competition from the “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht”
It is now expected that two new parliamentary groups will emerge: the remaining 28 Left MPs on the one hand and Wagenknecht and her supporters on the other. We will work towards implementing this as quickly as possible, said Left Party leader Dietmar Bartsch before the group meeting. Compared to a faction, a group has slightly fewer parliamentary rights and also receives less financial support from the state treasury. A Bundestag resolution is required to approve a group and determine its rights.
Deep cut for the left
Politically, it is a deep turning point for the left. The left-wing faction was founded in 2005, a merger of members of the former PDS and the then new WASG. Both parties then merged to form the Left in 2007. Now it is splitting again. Wagenknecht would like to found a rival party at the beginning of 2024. Your association “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht” is preparing this and is already collecting donations.
The fact that a Bundestag faction dissolves during the current legislative period is new. Such “liquidations” have so far only occurred after electoral defeats. In 2013, the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag was liquidated when it failed to pass the five percent hurdle. In 2002, the left-wing predecessor PDS went through such a procedure once. At that time, only two direct candidates made it into the Bundestag.
Liquidation can take years
Because employees, rooms and contracts have to be terminated, liquidation can take years. The founding of the new parliamentary groups can begin before then. They need support from the other factions in the Council of Elders and in the plenary session. For the time being, the current members of the left-wing faction will probably sit as individual members of the Bundestag.
According to the Bundestag, the left-wing faction received around 11.5 million euros in state funding in 2022 and had personnel expenses of around 9.3 million euros. The group must now terminate all 108 employees. Some of them could find jobs with the two new groups.