The Left (Germany)

The Left (Germany). The Left is a major left-wing political party in the Federal Republic of Germany, formed in 2007 from a merger of the post-communist Party of Democratic Socialism and the western German electoral alliance Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative. It advocates for democratic socialism, social justice, and a fundamental critique of capitalism, positioning itself as a radical alternative to the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany. The party has been a significant force in the Bundestag, several state parliaments like the Landtag of Thuringia, and the European Parliament.

History

The party's origins lie in the 2005 merger negotiations between the eastern German PDS, successor to the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany of the former German Democratic Republic, and the western German Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative, founded by disaffected trade unionists and former Social Democratic Party of Germany members like Oskar Lafontaine. The formal founding party congress occurred on 16 June 2007 in Berlin, unifying these strands under co-chairs Lothar Bisky and Oskar Lafontaine. It entered the Bundestag after the 2005 German federal election as The Left Party.PDS before fully merging. Key historical moments include its role in the 2008 Berlin state election and forming a red-red-green coalition in Brandenburg under Minister-President Dietmar Woidke. Internal tensions have periodically surfaced, notably between its pragmatic and fundamentalist wings, leading to the departure of the faction Aufstehen and the 2024 split of the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance.

Ideology and political positions

The party's platform is rooted in democratic socialism and a strong anti-capitalist stance, demanding the socialization of key industries like energy and housing. It is a staunch critic of German military engagements, advocating for the dissolution of NATO and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany. Core domestic policies include a radical expansion of the welfare state, introduction of a universal basic income, and a €13 minimum wage. The party strongly supports environmental protection through a Green New Deal but opposes what it sees as socially regressive measures like those of the Alliance 90/The Greens. It maintains a critical, solidarity-based foreign policy towards nations like Russia and Venezuela, and is a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Organization and structure

The party is organized as a democratic membership association, with its highest body being the Federal Party Congress, which elects a dual leadership. Notable co-chairs have included Katja Kipping, Bernd Riexinger, Janine Wissler, and Martin Schirdewan. Its parliamentary group in the Bundestag is led by a collective leadership. The party foundation is the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, which conducts political education. It has strong regional associations, particularly in eastern states like Thuringia, where Bodo Ramelow served as Minister-President, and Berlin, where it has governed in coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Germany and Alliance 90/The Greens. Internal groupings range from the reformist Forum Democratic Socialism to the communist Communist Platform.

Electoral performance

The Left achieved its best federal result in the 2009 German federal election, winning 11.9% of the vote and 76 seats in the Bundestag. It has consistently cleared the 5% electoral threshold in federal elections, though support declined to 4.9% in the 2021 German federal election, narrowly entering parliament due to winning three direct mandates in Berlin. The party holds significant strength in state legislatures across eastern Germany, notably leading the government in Thuringia from 2014 to 2024. In the 2019 European election, it won 5.5% of the vote. Its voter base is concentrated in urban centers and the former German Democratic Republic, but it has struggled to achieve a sustained breakthrough in western states like North Rhine-Westphalia.

International affiliations

The Left is a founding and leading member of the Party of the European Left, a pan-European party that includes Syriza of Greece and Podemos of Spain. Through this affiliation, its Members of the European Parliament sit in the The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament. The party maintains fraternal relations with various left-wing and socialist parties globally, though it is not a member of any international organization like the Socialist International. Its foundation, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, operates internationally, fostering dialogue with leftist movements and parties in Latin America and elsewhere.

Category:Political parties in Germany Category:2007 establishments in Germany