After disastrous election results and inner-party quarrels, the left is in a deep crisis. What’s next at the top?
The Left Chairwoman Janine Wissler is preparing for contested candidatures for the top of her party. That is quite possible, Wissler said on Tuesday on Deutschlandfunk.
She will wait and see who will declare applications for the party leadership in the next few days and then hold talks. Important is “a good team that can trust”.
Despite a series of electoral defeats by her party, Wissler decided to run again for the presidency. Since there should be a dual leadership, another position must be filled next to her at a party conference in Erfurt at the end of June. But there is speculation about several other candidates. The Leipzig member of the Bundestag Sören Pellmann could already declare his application this Tuesday. According to information from the “Spiegel”, the left-wing European politician Martin Schirdewan is also considering a candidacy.
Wissler admitted that left-wing politicians had recently represented contradictory positions on issues such as climate protection, the Ukraine war or Corona. People need to know again what the party stands for. Top issues are rising prices and rents, good work and redistribution. “The traffic light needs pressure from the left,” said the chairwoman. You yourself have “something planned for this party, I want this party to go forward”.
The left missed the five percent hurdle in the federal election and in the most recent state elections and is deeply divided.
