The refugee activist and captain Rackete is to stand for the Left Party in the 2024 European elections. In doing so, one wants to “open up to activists from the social movements of civil society,” said co-party leader Wissler.
The Linke-Spitzen want to set up the refugee activist Carola Rackete and the social medicine specialist Gerhard Trabert as prominent faces for the 2024 European elections. Chairmen Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan officially presented this plan. Rackete is to become a top candidate alongside Schirdewan, currently the leader of the Left Party in the European Parliament.
Wissler said: “The Left opens up to those who are committed, to active people from the social movements of civil society. This is how we show: The Left is part of a left-wing pole of hope that is larger than itself.”
Rackete sees herself primarily as an ecologist
The 35-year-old Captain Rackete became internationally known in 2019 when she sailed to the island of Lampedusa with refugees rescued from distress on the ship “Sea Watch” despite a ban by the Italian authorities. Criminal proceedings followed, but were discontinued in 2021.
Rackete is also a supporter of the climate group Extinction Rebellion and sees himself primarily as an ecologist. She described the climate crisis as “the result of capitalist mismanagement and exploitation” and as the world’s greatest crisis of justice. In her own words, she sees her candidacy for the Left State Association of Saxony as an opportunity to anchor the social and ecological movements in the European Parliament. But she wanted to remain independent, she announced.
Climate crisis as the “biggest justice crisis of the world”
Rackete went on to say that she sees the human right to a “healthy environment, viable ecosystems and a stable global climate” under threat. The climate crisis is also the “biggest justice crisis in the world”. She asked herself where she could make “the biggest difference”. She has been involved in various social movements and nature conservation projects in recent years. These are dependent on the “support of a parliamentary left”. In order to achieve their goals, “good networking in the institutions” is necessary. In the event of an election, she wants to work in the environment committee of the European Parliament.
Trabert is committed to helping the poor and homeless
This also applies to Trabert, who had already run for the office of Federal President in 2022 as a non-party for the left. The doctor has been taking care of the poor and homeless in Mainz for decades, but is also involved in refugee aid. He is to take fourth place on the list for the European elections, behind trade unionist Özlem Demirel.
The 67-year-old cited the large number of poor and homeless people in the EU as the main reason for his candidacy for the European Parliament. The strength of the right-wing populists is also related to the fact that people do not feel that politicians take notice of them. He wants to counter those “who are just so far away from the reality of life for many people”.
New swing and clear profile
Officially, the candidates for the European elections will only be nominated at a left-wing party conference in Augsburg in mid-November. It is unclear whether the nominees will be well received throughout the party.
The Left Party is apparently hoping for new impetus and a clear profile in the ongoing dispute with the former parliamentary group leader Sahra Wagenknecht. Wissler and Schirdewan are under pressure because of poor election results and poll numbers from the left and because of the dispute with Wagenknecht. This is considering founding a new party, but has not yet made a decision. Critics accuse her of some of her positions no longer being left-wing.