The left wants to overcome its crisis and is repositioning itself. As she says goodbye, Chairwoman Wissler talks herself into a rage again. The delegates clear up one point of contention.
After a series of electoral defeats, the Left wants to score points with voters with social security in terms of wages, pensions and rents and with openness to migration. A federal party conference in Halle on Friday evening also defused a long-standing internal dispute: the delegates decided on a compromise motion on the war in the Middle East and the fight against anti-Semitism.
It calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Hamas’ attack on Israel is condemned, as is the conduct of war by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. It is said that Germany and NATO are not allowed to supply weapons. In addition, the federal government should recognize Palestine as a separate state within the 1967 borders. At the same time, it is emphasized that the left stands firmly against any form of anti-Semitism and racism.
Wissler attacks the traffic light’s migration policy
The outgoing Left chairwoman Janine Wissler had previously expressed sharp criticism of the migration policy of Ampel and the other parties in her farewell speech. She accused the government of adopting AfD demands.
“The current debate feels like an AfD look-a-like contest (an AfD doppelganger competition),” said Wissler. “Border controls, detention of refugees, large-scale deportations, as the Chancellor says, even to Afghanistan – the wet dream of every AfD member has become government action.”
Criticism also of the BSW
Wissler also attacked the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance, which split off from the Left a year ago. “When I hear speeches from the BSW today in which more deportations are called for, when joint proposals with the AfD are openly discussed and tougher sanctions on citizens’ money are called for, then I can only say: It is right that we are no longer in one party are,” she said. The delegates celebrated Wissler after her combative speech.
Its co-chairman Martin Schirdewan said the party conference should send a “strong and powerful signal”. “This left is needed in this country,” said Schirdewan on the sidelines of the party conference.
Ramelow takes self-employment “on the chains”
Wissler called on members to improve the culture within the party. The Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow also urged his party to make a fresh start. “It bothers me how we deal with ourselves,” he said. “I’m tired of paying attention to every idiot who’s on X,” Ramelow added. The party’s executive board must also be able to find clear words without being immediately attacked.
In an hour-long debate, the members debated the future course. One focus was the demand for affordable rents. The Bavarian state spokesman Martin Bauhof said that the Left was the party that stood up for tenants.
10,000 new members in one year
The left did poorly in the last elections. Most recently, she lost heavily in the European elections and the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg. In Brandenburg it flew out of an East German parliament for the first time since German unification in 1990.
The Left draws confidence from the many new members who have joined in the past few months. According to Wissler, there have been more than 10,000 since October 2023. However, scores of members had previously resigned. According to party information, the Left currently has a good 52,600 members. The party’s stated goal is to return to the Bundestag with parliamentary strength after the next election. It is currently at three to four percent in surveys nationwide.
Link information party conference
Source: Stern

I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.