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{{short description|German political party}}
{{Infobox_German_Political_Party |
{{pp-pc1}}
party_name = Die Linke |
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
party_logo = ] |
{{Infobox political party
party_wikicolourid = Left |
| name = The Left
leader = ] <br> ] |
| native_name = Die Linke
foundation = ], ] |
| native_name_lang = de
ideology = ] |
| logo = Logo Die Linke (2023).svg
international = none |
| logo_size = 175
european = ]|
| colorcode = {{party color|The Left (Germany)}}
europarl = ]|
| leader1_title = Chairpersons
colours = ]|
| leader1_name = {{plainlist|
headquarters = Karl-Liebknecht-Haus<br>Kl. Alexanderstraße 28<br>D-10178 ]|
* ]
website =
* ]
}}
| leader2_title = Deputy Chairpersons
| leader2_name = {{plainlist|
* ]
* {{ill|Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg|de}}
* {{ill|Sabine Ritter|de}}
* {{ill|Maximilian Schirmer|de}}
}}
| leader3_title = Secretary
| leader3_name = Janis Ehling
| founder =
| founded = {{start date|2007|6|16|df=y}}
| merger = ]<br />]
| headquarters = ] Kleine Alexanderstraße 28 D-10178 ]
| think_tank = ]
| student_wing = ]
| youth_wing = ]
| membership_year = July 2024
| membership = {{increase}} 52,000<ref name="Tagesschau 24-07-16"/>
| ideology = ]<br />]
| position = ]{{cref|A}}<ref>{{cite book|editor=Raphaël Fèvre|title=A Political Economy of Power: Ordoliberalism in Context, 1932-1950 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hfhQEAAAQBAJ|quote=This reference to ordoliberalism has also resonated across the wide spectrum of German politics— albeit in a spirit of opposition to the CDU— from left-wing party leaders of Die Linke to the far-right of Alternative für Deutschland|year=2021|page=|publisher=]|isbn=978-0-197-60780-0}}</ref>
| national =
| european = ]
| international =
| europarl = ]
| colours = {{colour box|#FF0000|border=silver}} ] (official){{efn|Used in the party logo and flag.}}<br />{{colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}} Purple (customary){{efn|Used by the German government in their parliamentary diagrams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wahl.tagesschau.de/wahlen/2013-09-22-BT-DE/index.shtml|title=Bundestagswahl 2013|language=de|website=Bundestagswahl 2021|date=9 October 2013|access-date=23 October 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408224928/http://wahl.tagesschau.de/wahlen/2013-09-22-BT-DE/index.shtml|archive-date=8 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/bundestagswahlen/2021/ergebnisse.html|title=Bundestagswahl 2021|language=de|website=Bundeswahlleiter|publisher=Federal Returning Officer|date=15 October 2021|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>}}
| seats1_title = ]
| seats1 = {{composition bar|28|736|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| seats2_title = ]
| seats2 = {{composition bar|4|69|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| seats3_title = ]
| seats3 = {{composition bar|92|1894|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| seats4_title = ]
| seats4 = {{composition bar|3|96|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| seats5_title = ]
| seats5 = {{composition bar|0|16|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| flag = Flag of Die Linke.svg
| footnotes = {{cnote|A|A broad left-wing party, it has also been described as ] by some news outlets.}}
| website = {{Official URL}}
| country = Germany
}} }}


'''The Left''' ({{langx|de|Die Linke}} {{IPA|de|diː ˈlɪŋkə|}}), commonly referred to as the '''Left Party''' ({{langx|de|Die Linkspartei|links=no}} {{IPA|de|diː ˈlɪŋkspaʁˌtaɪ||De-Die Linkspartei.ogg}}), is a ] ]. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the ] (PDS) and ]. Through the PDS, the party is the direct descendant of the ] ruling party of former ], the ] (SED).<ref name="Tangian2013">{{cite book|last=Tangian|first=Andranik|title=Mathematical Theory of Democracy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=soLEBAAAQBAJ|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2013|page=|isbn=978-3-642-38724-1}}</ref> Since October 2024, The Left's co-]s have been ] and ]. The party holds 28 seats out of 736 in the ], the federal legislature of Germany, having won 4.9% of votes cast in the ]. Its parliamentary group is the second-smallest of seven in the Bundestag, and is headed by parliamentary co-leaders ] and ].
'''The Left''' ({{lang-de|Die Linke}}), commonly referred to as the '''Left Party''' (''Linkspartei''), is a ] ] in ]. It is one of six political parties represented in the ].


The Left is represented in eight of Germany's sixteen state legislatures, including all five of the ]. As of 2024, the party participates in governments in the states of ] and ] as a junior partner. From 2014 to 2024 the party led a coalition in ] with the ] and ] headed by Minister-President ]. The Left is a founding member of the ], and is the third-largest party in the ] group in the ]. In December 2022, The Left had 54,214<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mitgliederzahlen 2022: DIE LINKE. |url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/ueber-uns/mitgliederzahlen-2022/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Die Linke |language=de}}</ref> registered members, making it the sixth-largest party in Germany by membership, this decreased further to 50,251 members in December 2023.<ref name="Membership of The Left">{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/ueber-uns/mitgliederzahlen-2023/ |title=Mitgliederzahlen 2023 |access-date=9 September 2024}}</ref> The Left promotes ], ] and ], and is neutral on ].
The party was founded on ], ], as a merger of ] (PDS) and the ] (WASG). Its leaders are ] and ]. The party positions itself to the ] of the other established political parties.


In late 2023, prominent member ] and several supporters split from the party and formed ], resulting in the dissolution of The Left's official faction in the Bundestag.
According to official party figures, the Left Party has 76,139 registered members as of ], ].<ref name="members">"" Die Linke website.</ref> The party's ] includes 54 deputies, making it the fourth largest party in the Bundestag. According to most recent polls, it is now the third most popular party in Germany.<ref name="polls">"," ''Der Spiegel'' (16 October 2008).</ref>

Internationally the Left is a member of the ], and it is the largest party in the ] fraction of the ].


==History== ==History==
===Background===
The ] that forced the dismissal of East German head of state ] in 1989 also empowered a younger generation of reform politicians in East Germany's ruling ] who looked to Soviet President ]'s ] and ] as their model for political change. Reformers like authors ] and ] and attorney ], dissidents like ], soon began to reconstruct the political profile of the party. By the end of 1989 the last hardline members of the party's Central Committee had resigned, followed in 1990 by 95% of the SED's 2.3 million members.
{{main|Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)}}
The main predecessor of The Left was the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), which emerged from the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) of East Germany (GDR). In October 1989, facing increasing unpopularity, the SED replaced long-time leader ] with ], who began a program of limited reforms, including the legalisation of opposition groups. He also loosened restrictions on travel between East and West Berlin, which inadvertently led to the ]. The SED gave up its "]" in November, and Krenz resigned soon afterward. He was succeeded by ], part of a group of reformers who supported the ]. His ally ], the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers, became the ''de facto'' national leader.


Seeking to change its image, the party expelled most of its former leadership, including Honecker and Krenz; the new government negotiated with opposition groups and arranged free elections. By the time of a special congress in mid-December, the SED was no longer a Marxist-Leninist party. It added ''Party of Democratic Socialism'' to its name, dropping the SED portion in February. The PDS oriented itself as pro-democratic, socialist, and supportive of East German sovereignty. The party chose Modrow as its lead candidate for the ] but was decisively defeated, finishing in third place with 16.4% of votes cast. The PDS was excluded from further political developments due to the aversion of the opposition, now in power, which considered it essentially tied to the Communist regime despite its change of name.<ref>Mary Elise Sarotte, ''1989: The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe'' (second edition). Princeton, NJ: ], 2014</ref>
The rump of the SED that remained was renamed as the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) at a special party congress in December 1989, to distance the reformed party from its communist past. ] became the new leader of the party. Initially, the party was known by the combination initials SED-PDS; this practice was dropped on 4 February 1990, after which the party was known solely as the PDS. By early 1990, the PDS was no longer a ] party, though neo-marxist and communist minority factions continued to exist. On 18 March 1990, the PDS lost significant influence in the first free elections in GDR history; the ] coalition, led by the ] (CDU), won the election.


After debuting with a meagre 2.4% nationwide in the ] immediately after reunification, the PDS gained popularity throughout the 1990s as a protest party in the eastern states. In the ] it won 5.1% of votes, enough to win seats outright without relying on direct constituencies as it had in 1994. By the 2000s, it was the second-largest party in every eastern state legislature except Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Despite electoral successes, the PDS faced internal strife due to ideological disputes, a chronic decline in membership, and a near-complete lack of support in the western states, which has been home to 85% of Germany's population. The ] also saw a "red socks" campaign used by the ], including the ] and the ] (FDP), to scare off a possible ] (]–PDS–]). Analysts have stated that such a strategy likely paid off, as it was seen as one of the decisive elements for the narrow victory of Kohl for the CDU/CSU–FDP. The campaign was criticized as an obvious attempt to discredit the whole ]; the PDS reinterpreted it for itself by printing red socks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-could-there-soon-be-a-left-wing-government/a-59073355|title=German election: Could there soon be a left-wing government?|agency=Deutsche Welle|date=24 September 2021|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>
===Up to 2005===
In the first all-German ] ], the PDS won only 2.4% of the nationwide vote, but under a one-time exception to Germany's electoral law entered the Bundestag with 17 deputies led by Gregor Gysi. In the ], in spite of an aggressive anti-communist "Red Socks" campaign organised against the PDS by the then-ruling ] aimed at scaring off voters, the PDS managed to increase its vote to 4.4 percent, winning a plurality in four eastern electoral districts, and re-entered the Bundestag with an enlarged caucus of 30 deputies. In ], the party reached the high-water mark in its fortunes by electing 37 deputies with 5.1% of the national vote, thus clearing the critical 5% threshold required for guaranteed proportional representation and full parliamentary status. The party's future seemed bright, but it suffered from a number of weaknesses, not the least of which was its dependence on Mr Gysi, considered by supporters and critics alike as a super-star in German politics who stood in stark contrast to a colorless general membership. Gysi's resignation in 2000 after losing a policy debate with party leftists soon spelled trouble for the PDS. In the ], the vote sank to 4.0%, and the party was able to seat only two back-benchers elected directly from their districts, ] and ].


===PDS–WASG alliance===
After the 2002 debacle, the PDS adopted a new program and re-installed a respected moderate, long-time Gysi ally ], as chairman. A renewed sense of self-confidence soon re-energized the party. In the 2004 elections to the European Parliament, the PDS won 6.1% of the vote nationwide, its highest total at that time in a federal election. Its electoral base in the eastern German states continued to grow, where today it ranks with the ] and ] as one of the region's three strong parties. However, low membership and voter support in Germany's western states continued to plague the party until it formed an electoral alliance in July 2005 with the newly-formed ], a leftist faction largely consisting of dissident ] and trade unionists.
{{Image frame|align=right|border=no|width=400|content=
{{Tree chart/start|align=center}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | | | | | |SPD ||SPD=]}}
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{{Tree chart| | | SED | | | | | | |!| |SED=]}}
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{{Tree chart| | | | | | |!| | | | |!| |}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | LIN | | | |!| |LIN='''Die Linke'''}}
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{{Tree chart| | | | BSW |(| | | | |!| |BSW=]}}
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|caption=The predecessors of Die Linke, and its split-off ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parteien nach 1989 |url=https://www.teachsam.de/politik/brd_pols/parteien/brd_parteien_5_2_6_1.htm |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=www.teachsam.de}}</ref>}}
In January 2005, a group of disaffected ] and trade unionists founded ] (WASG), a left-wing party opposed to federal Chancellor ]'s ] labour and welfare reforms. The party made a modest showing of 2.2% in the ] in May, but failed to win seats. The election saw the incumbent SPD government defeated in a landslide, which was widely interpreted as a sign of the federal SPD's unpopularity. Chancellor Schröder subsequently called an early federal election to be held in September.


WASG continued to gain members, prompting the PDS leadership to propose an alliance between the two parties. With the established eastern base of the PDS and WASG's potential for growth in the west, the parties hoped to enter the Bundestag together. They agreed to form an electoral pact, in which they would not run against one another in direct constituencies and would create joint ]s featuring candidates from both parties. They also agreed to unify into a single party in 2007. To symbolise the new relationship, the PDS renamed itself the Left Party.PDS ({{langx|de|Linkspartei.PDS}}). The joint list ran under the name The Left.PDS ({{langx|de|Die Linke.PDS}}), though in the western states, where the PDS was shunned for its association with the GDR, "PDS" was optional. The alliance's profile was greatly boosted when former federal Minister of Finance ], who had left the SPD after the North Rhine-Westphalia election, joined WASG in June. He was chosen as the party's lead candidate for the federal election and shared the spotlight with Gregor Gysi of the PDS.
===Alliance with the WASG===
After marathon negotiations, the PDS and WASG agreed on terms for a combined ticket to compete in the 2005 ] and pledged to unify into a single left party in 2006 or 2007. According to the pact, the parties did not compete against each another in any district. Instead, WASG candidates&mdash;including the former Social Democratic leader, ]&mdash;were nominated on the PDS electoral list. To symbolize the new relationship, the PDS changed its name to The Left Party/PDS, with the letters "PDS" optional in western states where many voters still regarded the PDS as an "eastern" party with personal and ideological links to the SED regime.


Polls early in the summer showed the unified Left list winning as much as 12 percent of the vote, and for a time it seemed possible the party would surge past the Greens and FDP and become the third-largest party in the Bundestag. During the campaign, the party was subject to frequent criticism. At one event, Oskar Lafontaine described ''Fremdarbeiter'' ("foreign workers", a term associated with the Nazi regime) as a threat to German labour. He claimed to have misspoken, but in an article published in '']'', a group of prominent German writers accused him of deliberately appealing to ] and ] voters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.signandsight.com/features/241.html|title=Writers warn about Linkspartei|publisher=signandsight |date=1 July 2005 |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref>
The alliance provided a strong electoral base in the east and benefited from WASG's growing voter potential in the west. Gregor Gysi, returning to public life only months after brain surgery and two heart attacks, shared the spotlight with Lafontaine as co-leader of the party's energetic and professional campaign. Both politicians will co-chair the Left's caucus in the German ] after the election.


In the ], the Left.PDS easily passed the electoral threshold, winning 8.7% of the vote and 53 seats. It became the fourth largest party in the Bundestag. The result of the election was inconclusive; between the SPD, Greens, and Left.PDS, left-wing parties held a majority, but the SPD was unwilling to cooperate with the Left.PDS. The result was a ] of the CDU and SPD.
Polls early in the summer showed the unified Left list on a "high-altitude flight," winning as much as 12 percent of the vote, and for a time it seemed possible the party would surge past the established German ] and the pro-business ] and become the third-strongest force in the Bundestag. Alarmed by the Left's unexpected rise in the polls, Germany's mainstream politicians hit back at Lafontaine and Gysi as "left populists" and "demagogues" and accused the party of flirting with neo-Nazi voters. A ] by Lafontaine, who described "foreign workers" as a threat in one speech early in the campaign, provided ammunition for charges that the Left was attempting to exploit German xenophobia and voters from the far right.


===Party foundation===
Despite this enmity, the 2005 elections saw the emergence of a powerful Left Party, which received 8.7% of the nationwide vote and won 54 seats in the new German ]. The process towards unification between Left Party.PDS and WASG went on until ]. On ] of that year, both parties decided in favour of a united party. The founding party congress took place on ].
Negotiations for a formal merger of the PDS and WASG continued through the next year until a final agreement was reached on 27 March 2007.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGChCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |title=Party Members and Activists |page=85 |publisher=Routledge |editor1-first=Emilie |editor1-last=van Haute |editor2-first=Anika |editor2-last=Gauja |date=24 April 2015 |isbn=9781317524328 |access-date=22 August 2017 |via=Google Books}}</ref> The new party, called The Left (''Die Linke''), held its founding congress in Berlin on 16 June 2007. ] and Oskar Lafontaine were elected as co-leaders, while Gregor Gysi became leader of the party's Bundestag group.


The unified party quickly became a serious force in western Germany for the first time. It comfortably surpassed the electoral threshold in ], and throughout 2008 won seats in ], ] and ]. The "five-party system" in Germany was now a reality in the west as well as the east.
Shortly before the unification, the Left Party/PDS had already entered the Bürgerschaft of ] and was thus being represented in a state legislature of former ] - something it had never accomplished as PDS. In the first months of 2008, more electoral successes followed for The Left, which entered the state parliaments of ] and ] and the senate of ].


A string of electoral successes followed during the "super election year" of 2009. The Left achieved 7.5% in the ], confirming their enduring nationwide popularity. Six state elections were held throughout the year, and in each of them the party either surged ahead or consolidated earlier gains. They saw an upswing in ] and ] and won seats for the first time in ] and ]. Oskar Lafontaine ran as the party's lead candidate in Saarland, leading the party to a massive success with 21.3% of the vote. In ] and ], The Left's vote declined slightly, but it remained the second largest party in both states.
==Policies==

The Left aims for ]. In accordance to Marxist tradition, the capitalist system of Germany is questioned, as are current ] concepts and their aim is the overcoming of capitalism. <ref>"''Our alternative: Social, democratic and peacemaking reforms to overcome capitalizm''" </ref> As a platform of left politics in the wake of ], The Left includes many different factions, ranging from communists to left-leaning social democrats.
===2009 federal election===
]]]
The electoral collapse of the Social Democratic Party in the ] on 27 September 2009 saw The Left's vote surge to 11.9%, increasing its representation in the Bundestag from 54 to 76 seats, just under half as large as the SPD's parliamentary group. It became the second most popular party in the eastern states with 28.5%, while experiencing a breakthrough in the west with 8.3%. It was the most popular party in Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, and won sixteen direct constituencies, the largest tally by a minor party in history. The Left nonetheless remained in opposition.

The Left won seats in the parliament of Germany's most populous state, ], in the ]. They now held seats in thirteen of Germany's sixteen states, only absent from three states in the traditionally conservative south.

In January 2010, Oskar Lafontaine announced that, due to his ongoing cancer treatment, he would not seek re-election to the party leadership at the upcoming party congress. At the congress in May, Lothar Bisky also chose not to nominate for re-election; ] and ] were elected as the party's new leaders.

Just a few weeks later, the SPD and Greens invited the Left to support their candidate for the ], former ] ]. They suggested that this was an opportunity for the Left to leave their communist past behind them and show unconditional support for democracy.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ludwig Greven |date=29 June 2010 |language=de |url=http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2010-06/gauck-linkspartei |title=Präsidentenwahl: Linke, wählt Gauck! |trans-title=presidential election: Left, choose Gauck! |publisher=Zeit Online |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> However, the party refused to support him, highlighting his support of the ] and his attacks on their party.<ref>, n-tv, 28 June 2010</ref> They also rejected the conservative ], favourite of Chancellor ],<ref>, Manager Magazin</ref> instead putting forward their own nominee, television journalist ].<ref>{{cite news|author=von Markus Ehrenberg|url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/medien/tagesschau-luc-jochimsen-oder-doch-lukrezia/1854908.html |title=Tagesschau: Luc Jochimsen? Oder doch Lukrezia?|newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online |date=9 June 2010 |publisher=Tagesspiegel.de |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> The red-green camp reacted with disappointment.<ref name="SPON">, Spiegel Online, 1 July 2010</ref> SPD chairman ] described The Left's position as "bizarre and embarrassing," stating that he was shocked that they would declare Joachim Gauck their enemy due to his investigation of GDR injustice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/bundespraesident-gabriel-lafontaine-kritik-an-gauck-peinlich_aid_520195.html |title=Bundespräsident: Gabriel: Lafontaine-Kritik an Gauck peinlich |publisher=Focus.de|date=17 June 2010|access-date=20 February 2012}}</ref> The SPD and Greens expected the Left to support Gauck in the decisive third round of the election; however, after Jochimsen withdrew, most of the Left's delegates abstained.<ref name="SPON"/><ref name="n24">, n24.de</ref> Wulff was elected by an absolute majority.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/bundespraesidentenwahl-politik-am-rande-des-nervenzusammenbruchs-1578650.html|title=Bundespräsidentenwahl: Politik am Rande des Nervenzusammenbruchs|publisher=Stern.de|date=1 July 2010|access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref>

The party was isolated ahead of the ]. The federal CDU/CSU–FDP government invited the SPD and Greens to agree on an all-party consensus candidate; The Left was excluded. Those invited eventually agreed to support Joachim Gauck. The Left again refused to support him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/gauck-als-wulff-nachfolger-linke-schimpft-ueber-kandidat-der-kalten-herzen/6232216.html |title=Bundesversammlung: Gauck soll am 18. März gewählt werden - Linke erwägt eigene Nominierung |publisher=Tagesspiegel.de |date=20 February 2012 |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> SPD chair Sigmar Gabriel once again criticized the party, claiming they harboured "sympathy for the German Democratic Republic."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/bundespraesident/gabriel-greift-linke-an-viele-linke-finden-stasi-aufklaerung-unanstaendig-_aid_718073.html|title=Gabriel greift Linke an: Betonköpfe, die Stasi-Aufklärung unanständig finden|work=Focus|date=26 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.n24.de/news/newsitem_7703457.html|title=Gabriel: Linke lehnt Gauck wegen Sympathie für DDR ab|work=]|date=26 February 2012}}</ref> The Left put forward ], a journalist and outspoken ] who had investigated numerous ] war criminals. She received 10.2% of the delegate votes. Gauck was elected in the first round with 80.4% of votes.

The Left's fortunes began to turn in 2011, and they suffered a string of setbacks and defeats through 2013, particularly in the western states. They failed to win seats in ] and ], and suffered losses in ], ], and ]. Crucially, the party lost its seats in the Landtags of ], ], and ].

On 11 April 2012, Gesine Lötzsch resigned as party co-leader, citing medical conditions her husband was suffering. Klaus Ernst subsequently announced he would not seek re-election as leader at the party congress in June.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/loetzsch158.html|title=Linkspartei diskutiert über Lötzsch-Nachfolge |publisher=tagesschau.de |date=13 January 2012|access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> ], who had served as deputy leader since 2007, was elected as co-leader with 67.1% of votes. ] was elected as the other co-leader with 53.5% of votes, winning a narrow contest against ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/katja-kipping-ist-neue-linken-chefin-a-836667.html|title=Kipping und Riexinger führen tief zerstrittene Linke|date=2 June 2012|publisher=]}}</ref>

===2013 federal election===
]]]
In the ], The Left received 8.6% of the national vote and won 64 seats, a decline from 2009. However, due to the collapse of the FDP, they moved into third place. After the formation of a second grand coalition between the CDU and SPD, The Left became the leading party of the opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/BTW_BUND_13/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/index.html|title=Final result of the Election to the German Bundestag 2013|work=The ]|access-date=23 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925024908/http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/BTW_BUND_13/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/index.html|archive-date=25 September 2013}}</ref>

The party narrowly retained its seats in the ] held on the same day as the federal election. The Left suffered a major loss in ] in 2014, losing a third of its voteshare and falling to third place. Nonetheless, it continued as a junior partner under the SPD.

The ] was the party's biggest success to date, achieving not only its best state election result (28.2%) but also forming the first coalition with one of its own members at the head. The party was able to negotiate a ] with the SPD and Greens, and ] was elected ] by the ], becoming the first member of the party to serve as head of government of any German state.

The Left achieved modest gains in the city-states of ] and ] in 2015. They suffered a loss in ] reminiscent of that in Brandenburg 18 months earlier, falling to third place and losing a third of their voteshare. In September, the Left joined government in ] after the ] as the second-largest member of a coalition with the SPD and Greens.

===2017 federal election===
]]]
In the ], The Left fell to fifth place due to the re-entry of the ] in fourth place and the ascension of ] to third place. The party suffered substantial losses in its traditional eastern heartland, but made a net gain nationally thanks to an improvement in the western states, rising to 9.2% of votes (up 0.6 points).

Throughout 2017, they failed to make a comeback to the Landtags of ], ], and ], despite making gains in all three states. The party's slow decline in ] continued, winning 12.8% in March. In 2018, they defended their seats in ]. Kipping and Riexinger were re-elected for a third time at the party congress in 2018, winning 64.5% and 73.8% respectively.<ref name="Parteitag2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article177265132/Parteitag-in-Leipzig-Kipping-und-Riexinger-als-Linken-Vorsitzende-wiedergewaehlt.html|title=Kipping und Riexinger als Linken-Vorsitzende wiedergewählt|newspaper=Die Welt|date=9 June 2018}}</ref>

The Left had mixed results in 2019. In the ], they declined to 5.5%, the worst result in a national election since the party's formation. In the ] held on the same day, the party made small gains, and joined a western state government for the first time in a coalition under the SPD and Greens. The Left suffered major losses in the ] and ] state elections held on 1 September, losing almost half its voteshare in each, and left the Brandenburg government, in which they had participated since 2009.

In the ], Ramelow led the party to its best ever result, winning 31.0% and becoming the largest party in a state legislature for the first time, though his red-red-green government lost its majority. In February 2020, the FDP's ] was elected Minister-President with the support of ] and the ], but immediately resigned due to widespread outrage. After a protracted ], Ramelow was re-elected for a second term to lead a minority government.

In August 2020, Kipping and Riexinger announced they would step down as co-chairs in accordance with party regulations stating that no position should be held by the same person for more than eight years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-both-leaders-of-socialist-left-party-to-quit/a-54752073|title=Germany: Both leaders of socialist Left Party to quit|date=29 August 2020|publisher=]}}</ref> A party congress was scheduled on 30 October to 1 November 2020, but was cancelled on 27 October due to the worsening of the ];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteistruktur/parteitag/erfurter-parteitag-2020|title=Erfurt Party Congress 2020|publisher=The Left}}</ref> the party instead held a fully digital congress on 26–27 February 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/die-linke-parteitag-findet-komplett-digital-statt-a-9c9d66ae-bae3-4cf0-a71a-cfc793a0df4f|title=The Left Party Congress will take place completely digitally|date=23 January 2021|publisher=]}}</ref> Hessian parliamentary leader ] and Thuringia branch leader ] were elected co-chairs on 27 February, winning 84% and 71% of votes cast, respectively.<ref name="WisHen">{{cite web |title=Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow are the new chairwomen of the Left |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/die-linke-waehlt-janine-wissler-und-susanne-hennig-wellsow-als-fuehrungsduo-a-7050f423-de0f-4f19-8d7a-9af7a38d7ad8 |date=27 February 2021 |publisher=]}}</ref>

=== 2021 federal election ===
During the ], The Left was eager to become a partner in a coalition government with the SPD and Greens.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chadwick|first=Lauren|date=23 September 2021|url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/09/23/germany-s-far-left-party-eager-to-join-coalition-while-others-steer-clear|title=German far-left party eager to join coalition while others steer clear|website=Euronews|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> As the CDU/CSU collapsed in the polls and the SPD surged, the last month of the campaign saw the conservative government engage in a ] campaign against The Left and the prospect of a ],<ref>{{cite news|last=Kirschbaum|first=Erick|date=10 September 2021|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/german-elections-coalitions-red-scare-b1917731.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/german-elections-coalitions-red-scare-b1917731.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=German elections: CDU resorts to 'Red Scare' tactics amid slump in the polls|work=The Independent|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> utilising ] and fearmongering about extremism;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/merkel-questions-if-spds-scholz-ready-to-rule-out-alliance-with-left-party/a-59045629|title=Merkel questions if SPD's Scholz ready to rule out alliance with Left party|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=31 August 2021|access-date=23 October 2021|via=Deutsche Welle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-could-there-soon-be-a-left-wing-government/a-59073355|title=German election: Could there soon be a left-wing government?|agency=Deutsche Welle|date=24 September 2021|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> the party had elected a new moderate leadership and put forward an observably more moderate programme than previous elections.<ref name="Oltermann 2021"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hegazy|first1=Sarah|last2=Lehman|first2=Pola|date=7 September 2021|url=https://democracy.blog.wzb.eu/2021/09/06/das-wahlprogramm-der-partei-die-linke-zur-bundestagswahl-2021/|title=Das Wahlprogramm der Partei Die Linke zur Bundestagswahl 2021|trans-title=The election manifesto of the party Die Linke for the 2021 federal election|website=Democracy|language=de|publisher=Manifesto Project|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref> A ] to Switzerland ensued due to fear of increased taxes for the wealthy through higher ] and a ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirt|first=Oliver|date=24 September 2021|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-millionaires-rush-assets-switzerland-ahead-election-2021-09-24/|title=German millionaires rush assets to Switzerland ahead of election|work=Reuters|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>

The Left won 4.9% of votes and 39 seats in the 26 September federal election, its worst showing since its official formation in 2007, narrowly failing to cross the 5% ]. The party was nonetheless entitled to full ] as it won three ]; two in ] and one in ]. This meant a net loss of 4.3 percentage points of vote share and 30 seats overall. Notably, {{awrap|Vice President}} of the Bundestag ] was defeated in her direct constituency of ]. Due to The Left's poor performance, a left-wing coalition fell a few seats short of a majority in the ].<ref>{{cite news|date=27 September 2021|title=Factbox: German 'traffic light' coalition seen as most likely|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-traffic-light-coalition-seen-most-likely-2021-09-27/|access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref>

State elections in ] and ] were held on the same day. The Left suffered minor losses in both, but nonetheless joined coalition governments in each state. In Berlin, they joined a renewed coalition with the SPD and Greens.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2021/12/berlin-linke-koalitionsvertrag-entscheidung-koalition-rot-gruen-rot.html|title=Berlin Left votes for red-green-red coalition agreement |date=17 December 2021|lang=de|website=RBB24}}</ref> In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, they replaced the CDU as junior partner to the SPD.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/SPD-und-Linke-unterzeichnen-Koalitionsvertrag-,koalitionmv154.html|title=SPD and Left sign coalition agreement|date=13 November 2021|language=de|website=]}}</ref><ref name="Reel">{{cite web|url=https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Jetzt-live-Schwesig-als-Ministerpraesidentin-von-MV-wiedergewaehlt,koalitionmv156.html|title=Schwesig is re-elected as Minister-President of MV|date=15 November 2021|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

After the federal election, The Left suffered internal strife and its fortunes continued to decline. A major blow came in the March ], with the party losing all their seats amid conflict between the state leadership and ], who declined to run again and quit the party shortly before the election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/olaf-scholz-spd-major-win-saarland-state-election-centre-left|title=Olaf Scholz's SPD secures major win in Saarland state election|date=28 March 2022|website=]}}</ref> Further, reports of sexism and abuse arose within the Hesse branch, including claims that implicated Janine Wissler. In April, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow resigned as co-leader, citing the party's recent troubles and desire to spend more time with family.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2022-04/hennig-wellsow-tritt-als-parteivorsitzende-der-linkspartei-zurueck|title=Hennig-Wellsow resigns as chair of the Left Party|date=20 April 2022|language=de|website=] |last1=Thaler |first1=Claudia}}</ref> Further losses came in the ] and ] state elections in May.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merkur.de/politik/die-linke-raeumt-grosse-niederlage-in-schleswig-holstein-ein-91532131.html|title=The Left concedes a "great defeat" in Schleswig-Holstein|access-date=25 May 2022|language=de|website=]|date=9 May 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/16/german-state-elections-populism-decline-north-rhine-westphalia|title=German state elections show populism in decline on left and right|date=16 May 2022|website=]}}</ref>

===2022–present: infighting and party split===
The ] highlighted fault lines within the party. The leadership and majority took a strongly pro-Ukrainian stance, while the faction around ] opposed sanctions against Russia.<ref name="Verge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/19/germanys-die-linke-on-verge-of-split-over-sanctions-on-russia|title=Germany's Die Linke on verge of split over sanctions on Russia|date=19 September 2022|website=]}}</ref> At the party congress in June, incumbent Janine Wissler was re-elected as leader, while co-chair of ] (GUE/NGL) group ] was elected as Hennig-Wellsow's successor. They both faced challenges from candidates aligned with Wagenknecht's faction, winning majorities of 57% and 61% of votes respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/janine-wissler-die-linke-bundesvorsitzende-100.html|title= Wissler and Schirdewan new party leaders|date=26 June 2022|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

During a Bundestag speech in September, Wagenknecht attacked the federal government for launching what she called "an unprecedented economic war against our most important energy supplier," and called for the end of sanctions against Russia. The speech was boycotted by half The Left's deputies, and prompted numerous calls for her resignation by colleagues. Hundreds of members were reported to have left the party over the dispute, including prominent former MdB ]. '']'' reported that Wagenknecht's supporters had begun planning a breakaway party to compete in the ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/linke-hunderte-parteiaustritte-nach-aeusserung-von-sahra-wagenknecht-a-d5a16acc-91ea-49d3-8edf-5b63a50e91c7|title=The Left: Hundreds of party resignations after statements by Sahra Wagenknecht|date=13 October 2022|language=de|website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/linke-finanzexperte-fabio-de-masi-verlaesst-die-partei-a-1fafbee3-ad4f-43e2-a77e-1d2a1f402720|title=Left: finance expert Fabio De Masi leaves the party|date=13 September 2022|language=de|website=]}}</ref><ref name="Verge"/>

In the ], The Left lost two seats in the ]; further, in the ], they retained their 10 seats in the ].<ref>{{cite web |date=13 February 2023 |title=Berlin: Conservatives projected to win repeated vote |url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-conservatives-projected-to-win-repeated-vote/a-64680065 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=15 May 2023 |title=Scholz's Social Democrats win Bremen state vote, Greens slump |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bremen-election-may-boost-scholzs-slumping-social-democrats-2023-05-14/ |website=]}}</ref> In the ], The Left were ] after achieving 3.1% of the vote, thus losing their 9 seats due to falling short of the 5% threshold needed for representation.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 October 2023 |title=Germany: Scholz coalition battered in Bavaria, Hesse polls |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-scholz-coalition-battered-in-bavaria-hesse-elections/a-67037370 |website=]}}</ref>

In October 2023, Wagenknecht and nine other Bundestag members, including faction co-leader ], announced their intention to leave The Left and launch the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/23/german-politician-sahra-wagenknecht-leaves-die-linke-to-set-up-new-party|title=German firebrand politician quits far-left Die Linke to set up her own party|date=24 October 2023|website=]}}</ref> This pushed The Left below the minimum number of members required to sustain an ] on 6 December.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/germany-left-party-wagenknecht-parliament-4d7e77f971ecdcd926f2267ae76acc29|title=Germany's opposition Left Party to dissolve caucus after prominent member launches rival venture|date=14 November 2023|website=]}}</ref> In February it was reorganised as a ]. Former faction leader Dietmar Bartsch declined to run again.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2024-02/linke-dietmar-bartsch-vorsitz-rueckzug|title=Bartsch withdraws from the chairmanship of the Left in the Bundestag|date=4 February 2024|language=de|website=] |last1=Keinath |first1=Anja }}</ref> ] and ], who previously ran against Wissler and Schirdewan for the federal leadership, announced their intention to contest against the pro-leadership duo of ] and ]. On the first ballot, Reichinnek defeated Bünger 14 votes to 13; Gürpinar withdrew in favour of Bünger in the second ballot, but she was defeated again by Pellmann, again 14 to 13.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rnd.de/politik/linke-pellmann-und-reichinnek-gewinnen-kampfabstimmung-ueber-vorsitz-im-bundestag-VLZTFFCI3NOAVKS7KT7DMTG2AE.html|title=Pellmann and Reichinnek win battle vote against Left Chairman in the Bundestag|date=20 February 2024|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

Wissler and Schirdewan announced in August 2024 that they would not seek re-election at the upcoming party congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/left-party-leaders-wissler-and-schirdewan-to-step-down/a-69973636|title=Left Party leaders Wissler and Schirdewan to step down|date=18 August 2024|website=]}}</ref> In September, the party suffered major defeats in state elections in ], ] and ]. They were reduced to fourth place in Thuringia with 13%, while in Brandenburg and Saxony they fell below 5%, only narrowly retaining their seats in the latter state. BSW, conversely, performed strongly and placed third in each state.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Sepp |first=Maximilian |date=2024-08-15 |title=Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht: Auf dem Weg zur Regierungspartei? |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/buendnis-sahra-wagenknecht-was-das-bsw-in-sachsen-thueringen-und-brandenburg-erreichen-kann-a-0c88da33-49f8-4096-94cd-b110340f22de |access-date=2024-08-15 |work=Der Spiegel |language=de |issn=2195-1349}}</ref> In October, the party congress elected ] and ] as the new co-leaders with only marginal opposition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-socialist-left-party-elects-new-leaders/a-70542425|title=Germany: Socialist Left Party elects new leaders|date=19 October 2024|website=]}}</ref>

==Ideology and platform==
{{socialism sidebar}}
The Left advocates for ]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nordsieck|first=Wolfram|date=September 2021|title=Parties and Elections in Europe|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/germany.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022030015/http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/germany.html|archive-date=22 October 2021|access-date=23 October 2021|website=Parties and Elections in Europe}}</ref><ref name="CiniBorragan2013">{{cite book |editor1-last=Cini |editor1-first=Michelle |editor2-last=Perez-Solorzano Borragan |editor2-first=Nieves |title=European Union Politics |chapter=Glossary |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RTNVM4YDTQcC&pg=PA387 |publisher=] |year=2013 |page=387 |isbn=978-0-19-969475-4}}</ref> as an alternative to ].<ref name="bpb.de">{{cite web|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/parteien-in-deutschland/die-linke/42133/programmatik|title=Die Programmatik der LINKEN &#124; Parteien in Deutschland &#124; bpb|first=Frank|last=Decker|language=German|website=bpb.de|date=6 February 2023 }}</ref> The Left is vocally ]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteistruktur/zusammenschluesse/bag-antifaschismus/ |title=BAG Antifaschismus
|work=Die Linke |access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=October 2024}} and ].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTEY41vUZPEC&pg=PA130 |title=Antimilitarism: Political and Gender Dynamics of Peace Movements |page=130 |first=Cynthia |last=Cockburn |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2012 |isbn=9780230359758 |via=Google Books |access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> As a platform for ] in the wake of ], the Left includes many different factions, ranging from ] to ]. During the joint party convention with the ] in March 2007, a document outlining political principles was agreed on. The official program of the party was decided upon by an overwhelming majority at the party conference in October 2011 in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.die-linke.de/party/documents/party-programme/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926152139/https://en.die-linke.de/party/documents/party-programme/|archive-date=26 September 2021|title=Programme of the Die Linke Party|website=Die Linke|publisher=The Left|date=23 October 2011|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>

The Left is generally considered a ], ] party. This party is sometimes considered part of the German "]" camp.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Ákos Moravánszky |editor2=Christian Schmid |editor3=Lukasz Stanek |title=Urban Revolution Now: Henri Lefebvre in Social Research and Architecture |date=2014 |page=283 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor=Sara Ceyhan |title=How German Parties Select Candidates of Immigrant Origin: Neutrality, Opening Or Closure? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VnkGEAAAQBAJ&dq=centre-left+die+linke&pg=PA200 |quote= ... Center-left parties, such as the SPD, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN, and DIE LINKE, are believed to be more open to IO candidates than political parties further on the center-right of the political spectrum ... |date=2020 |page=200 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=9783030594510 }}</ref> It has been described as "]" by journalists in some news outlets including the ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30342441|title=Die Linke triumph: Mixed reaction as German far-left gains power|work=BBC News|date=5 December 2014}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.com/2014/11/20/far-left-die-linke-take-charge-of-german-region/|title=Far-left Die Linke take charge of German region|date=20 November 2014}}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/17/german-elections-die-linke-party|title=Die Linke party wins German votes by standing out from crowd|website=]|date=17 September 2009}}</ref> and {{Lang|de|]}},<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-left-party-strong-but-shunned-by-mainstream-a-922870.html|title=German Left Party Strong But Shunned by Mainstream|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=19 September 2013|last1=Hawley|first1=Charles}}</ref> and is considered to be ] by some researchers.<ref name="keating"/><ref>Rooduijn, Matthijs, Andrea L.P. Pirro, Daphne Halikiopoulou, Caterina Froio, Stijn van Kessel, Sarah L. de Lange, Cas Mudde, and Paul Taggart (2023). The PopuList: A Database of Populist, Far-Left, and Far-Right Parties Using Expert-Informed Qualitative Comparative Classification (EiQCC). British Journal of Political Science, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123423000431.</ref>

===Economic policy===
The Left aims at increasing ] in the areas of public investments, education, research and development, culture, and infrastructure, as well as increasing taxes for large ]. It calls for increases in ] rates and the reinstatement of the individual ] tax. The party aims at a linear ] progression, which would reduce the tax burden for lower incomes, while raising the middle- and top-income tax rates. The combating of tax loopholes is a perennial issue, as The Left believes that they primarily benefit people with high incomes. The party aims for the financial markets to be subject to heavier government regulation, with the goal, among others, to reduce the speculation of bonds and derivatives. The party wants to strengthen ] laws and empower ]s to decentralise the economy. Further economic reforms supported by the party include solidarity and more self-determination for workers, a ban on ], the rejection of ], and the introduction of a federal ],<ref name=BBCLeft>{{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Steve|date=24 September 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8272658.stm|title=German hard left set to gain ground|agency=BBC News|access-date=31 October 2021}}</ref> and more generally the overthrow of property and power structures in which, citing ]'s aphorism, "man is a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://die-linke.de/fileadmin/download/international/programmatic_points.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210617/http://die-linke.de/fileadmin/download/international/programmatic_points.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2007|title=Key Programmatic Points|website=Die Linke|publisher=The Left|page=5|access-date=23 October 2021}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
Concerning foreign policy, The Left calls for international ], while ruling out any form of involvement of the ] outside of Germany. The party calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/us-troops-germany-public-opinion-pull-out-nato-summit-merkel-a8442021.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/us-troops-germany-public-opinion-pull-out-nato-summit-merkel-a8442021.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Germans want Donald Trump to pull US troops out of Germany, poll finds |work=The Independent |first=Jon |last=Stone |date=11 July 2018 |access-date=12 July 2018}}</ref> as well as the replacement of ] with a ] system including Russia as a member country. They believe that German foreign policy should be strictly confined to the goals of civil diplomacy and cooperation, instead of confrontation, though they also believe that such demands are more of a vision, are not to be implemented as soon as possible, and should not be seen as inflexible preconditions for a federal, left-wing ].<ref name="Oltermann 2021">{{cite news|last=Oltermann|first=Philip|date=24 September 2021|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/24/german-progressives-dare-to-dream-of-leftist-red-green-red-coalition|title=German progressives dare to dream of leftist 'red-green-red' coalition|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Nöstlinger|first=Nette|date=20 September 2021|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-election-2021-left-party-prepared-to-join-government-under-olaf-scholz-die-linke-gregor-gysi/|title=Germany's Marxist firebrand plots for the Left's moment|website=Politico|access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref>

In their manifesto, the party says: "All support for NATO states which, like ]'s Turkey, disregard international law, must be stopped immediately."<ref>{{cite news |title=Turkey in Germany's 2021 Elections: Political party manifestos and their views on Turkey – Dr Ronald Meinardus |url=https://www.eliamep.gr/en/publication/%CE%B7-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BA%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%82-%CE%B3%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BC%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AD%CF%82-%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AD%CF%82-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85-20/ |date=9 September 2021}}</ref> The Left criticised Germany's defense plan with Saudi Arabia, which has been ] in Yemen and has been accused of massive ] violations.<ref>"". ''The Local''. 8 December 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Germany moving to limit arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/4/28/germany-moving-to-limit-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-uae-turkey |work=Al-Jazeera |date=28 April 2018}}</ref> The Left supports further debt cancellations for developing countries and increases in development aid, in collaboration with the ], ], ], and diverse bilateral treaties among countries. The party supports ] as long as it is aimed at a fair balance between developed and developing countries. The Left would have all American military bases within Germany, and if possible in the ], enacted within a binding treaty, dissolved. The Left welcomes ], while opposing what it believes to be ] policies in the European Union. The party strives for the democratisation of the EU institutions and a stronger role of the United Nations in international politics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Germany|url=https://europeelects.eu/germany/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009172528/https://europeelects.eu/germany/|archive-date=9 October 2021|access-date=23 October 2021|website=Europe Elects}}</ref> The Left opposed both the ] and the ],<ref name="BBCLeft" /> as well as the ].<ref name="euractiv lisbon treaty">{{cite web|url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/bundestag-paves-way-lisbon-treaty-ratification/article-185252?Ref=RSS|title=Bundestag paves way for Lisbon Treaty ratification|publisher=EurActive.com|date=9 September 2009|access-date=28 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609230050/http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/bundestag-paves-way-lisbon-treaty-ratification/article-185252?Ref=RSS|archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref>

The party has a mixed stance towards the ]. ] has described Russia as ], and the party has called the ] and the ] to be illegal; however, Gysi commented that older elements of the party have a strong penchant for Russia and the ].<ref name="test">{{cite journal|last=Gysi|first=Gregor|year=2014|url=http://www.israelcfr.com/documents/gregor-gysi.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617125317/http://www.israelcfr.com/documents/gregor-gysi.pdf|archive-date=17 June 2015|title=Europe and the Crisis in Ukraine: Is the International Community Facing a New East–West Conflict?|journal=Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs|volume=VIII|issue=3|pages=75–87|doi=10.1080/23739770.2014.11446604|s2cid=142320061|access-date=23 October 2021|via=Israel Council on Foreign Relations}}</ref> The party declared in May 2014 that Ukraine should not receive any kind of support from Germany as long as there are fascists inside its government.<ref name="gazeta">{{cite web|url=http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,114881,15940883,Niemiecka_partia_Lewica__Ukraina_nie_powinna_dostawac.html|title=Niemiecka partia Lewica: Ukraina nie powinna dostawać pieniędzy od UE, dopóki rządzą nią faszyści|date=11 May 2014 |publisher=wiadomosci.gazeta.pl|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> Some members of the party (like MP ]) are strong supporters of the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/wolfgang-gehrcke-und-andrej-hunko-in-der-ostukraine-linken-abgeordnete-auf-abenteuertour-im-kriegsgebiet/11400156.html|title=Linken-Abgeordnete auf Abenteuertour im Kriegsgebiet|newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online|date=20 February 2015|language=de|access-date=22 October 2019|last1=Meisner|first1=Matthias}}</ref> The party also takes a friendly stance towards China;<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kastner |first=Jens |date=20 April 2023 |title=China finds unlikely allies in Germany's far right and far left |work=] |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-finds-unlikely-allies-in-Germany-s-far-right-and-far-left |access-date=12 May 2023}}</ref> ], deputy leader of The Left in the Bundestag, criticized EU commission president ]'s speech calling for a new EU policy towards China, saying that "he EU and its member states want to challenge the emerging power China, including through military means."<ref name=":0" />

==Organisation==
] (left) and ] at the 2024 federal party conference]]
The Left is organised into branches in each of the 16 ]. The party has smaller branches on a local level, for which the corresponding state branches are responsible. These branches usually organise across a ], city, or (in ]), ]. The lowest unit of the party is the grassroots organization, which, depending on the density of membership, can include a residential area, a city or an entire district.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteistruktur/kommissionen/|title=Kommissionen|publisher=The Left}}</ref> The party has a youth wing, ], and a student wing known as The Left.SDS. The party is also affiliated with a number of left-wing ]s, education, and policy groups, most prominently the ].

The party is formally led by a 26-member Party Executive Committee (PEC), of which seven are members of the party's leadership, the executive board. This includes two federal co-chairpersons, of which at least one is required by statute to be female. Convention also dictates that one leader should come from the Eastern states and one from the west, though this is not an official rule. The PEC is elected by a regular party congress, which also discusses and determines the party platform and rules on basic political and organisational matters.<ref name="BPBorganisation">{{cite web|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/parteien-in-deutschland/die-linke/42135/organisation|title=The organization of the LEFT|date=5 January 2021|language=de|website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.die-linke.de/party/party-congress/|title=Party Congress|publisher=The Left}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/linkspartei-wissler-kandidaten-vorsitz-pellmann-100.html|title=Early elections at the Left Party: Who is running for party leadership?|date=25 June 2022|language=de|website=]}}</ref> The leadership group of the party's Bundestag faction is considered a second centre of power within the party, and conflicts sometimes arise between the federal leadership and parliamentary group. This most prominently happened in 2015, which resulted in Bundestag co-leaders ] and ] being elected as lead candidates for the 2017 federal election, defeating federal co-chairs ] and ].<ref name="BPBorganisation"/>

The Left's internal structure underwent a transitional phase after its formation in 2007 in order to integrate the different groups. Western party organisations were initially strongly favoured in party congresses, which strengthened the "fundamental opposition" faction of ]. These provisions expired at the 2014 party congress. The dual leadership, initially a temporary measure, was adopted permanently in 2010. This was not initially the case for the parliamentary group leadership, which was co-chaired by both ] and Lafontaine between 2005 and 2009, and solely by Gysi thereafter. After his retirement in 2015, however, the dual chairmanship was reintroduced.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> The executive committee originally comprised 44 members, but was reduced to 26 at the 2022 party congress.

The Left is noted for having an unusually strong and formalised system of internal factions, which are outlined in the party statutes. Factions with sufficiently large membership are entitled to send delegates to party congresses. In addition, there are around 40 working groups within the party.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/><ref name="Zus">{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/|title=Federations|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref>

Since October 2024, the composition of the Party Executive Committee has been as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/parteitag/hallescher-parteitag-2024/hallescher-parteitag/wahl-des-parteivorstands|title=Election of the Party Executive|date=19 October 2024|website=The Left}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style="width:40em; text-align:center"
! style="width:12em;" | Position
! style="width:28em;" | Member(s)
|-
! Party Chair
| {{div col |colwidth=12em}}
* ]
* ]
{{div col end}}
|-
! Deputy Party Chair
|
* ]
* Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg
* Sabine Ritter
* Maximilian Schirmer
|-
! Federal Manager Officer
|
* Janis Ehling
|-
! Federal Treasurer
|
* Sebastian Koch
|-
! Youth Speaker
|
* Lisa Pfitzmann
|-
! Student Speaker
|
* Margarita Kavali
|-
! Member of the Party Executive Committee
| {{div col |colwidth=12em}}
* Sabine Berninger
* Candy Boldt-Händel
* Lorenz Güsta Beutin
* Katharina Dahme
* Ulrike Eifler
* Nina Eumann
* Olga Fritzsche
* Wulf Gallert
* Kathrin Gebel
* Margit Glasow
* Thies Gleiss
* Theo Glauch
* Hennis Herbst
* Alexander Kauz
* Markus Pohle
* Naisan Raji
{{div col end}}
|}

The Council of Elders (''Ältestenrat'') is an advisory body formed in December 2007. Lothar Bisky stated the council would "focus on the development of the party, allied and international issues, the history of the left and possible consequences for the socialist program." Its current composition is as follows:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteistruktur/kommissionen/aeltestenrat/|title=Ältestenrat|publisher=The Left}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style="width:40em; text-align:center"
! style="width:12em;" | Position
! style="width:28em;" | Member(s)
|-
! Speakers
| {{div col}}
* Bernhard Strasdeit
* Luc Jochimsen
{{div col end}}
|-
! Member of the<br />Council of Elders
| {{div col|colwidth=12em}}
* Klaus Bartl
* Safter Çinar
* Minka Dott
* Rosi Grewenig
* Rosi Hein
* Luc Jochimsen
* Walter Kappmeier
* Artur Pech
* Heidi Scharf
* Bärbel Schindler-Saefkow
* Alexander Schmejkal
* Renate Schmidt
* Christiane Schneider
* Volker Steinke
* Peter Vetter
* Ursula Weisser-Roelle
* ]
{{div col end}}
|}

===Leadership history===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3| Federal chairpersons
! Term start
! Term end
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2007|06|16|df=y}}
| {{end date|2010|05|15|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2010|05|15|df=y}}
| {{end date|2012|06|02|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2012|06|02|df=y}}
| {{end date|2021|02|27|df=y}}
|-
| rowspan=2 bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| rowspan=3| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2021|02|27|df=y}}
| {{end date|2022|04|20|df=y}}
|-
| ''Vacant''
| {{end date|2022|04|20|df=y}}
| {{end date|2022|06|25|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2022|06|25|df=y}}
| {{end date|2024|10|19|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br/>]
| ]<br/>]
| {{start date|2024|10|19|df=y}}
| Incumbent
|}

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3| Bundestag chairpersons
! Term start
! Term end
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2005|10|18|df=y}}
| {{end date|2009|10|27|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| colspan=2| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2009|10|27|df=y}}
| {{end date|2015|10|13|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| rowspan=2| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2015|10|13|df=y}}
| {{end date|2019|11|12|df=y}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2019|11|12|df=y}}
| {{end date|2023|12|6|df=y}}
|-
| colspan=5| ''Faction dissolved – reduced to group status''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|
| ]<br />]
| ]<br />]
| {{start date|2024|2|19|df=y}}
| Incumbent
|}

===State branches===
The party has branches in all 16 states. As of 31 December 2023, the membership of the branches is as follows.<ref name="branchmem">{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/ueber-uns/mitgliederzahlen-2023/|title=Membership Figures 2023|publisher=The Left|access-date=25 October 2024}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! State
!Branch
! class="unsortable" | Leader(s)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/gliederungen-landesverbaende/ |title=Organizations |publisher=The Left |access-date=16 June 2023}}</ref>
! Members
|-
| {{flag|Baden-Württemberg}}
|
| {{ill|Sahra Mirow|de}}<br />Elwis Capece
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 3,500
|-
| {{flag|Bavaria}}
|
| Kathrin Flach-Gomez<br />{{ill|Adelheid Rupp|de}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 2,625
|-
| {{flag|Berlin}}
|
| {{ill|Franziska Brychcy|de}}<br />{{ill|Maximilian Schirmer|de}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{increase}} 7,178
|-
| {{flag|Brandenburg}}
| ]
| ]<br />]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 4,146
|-
| {{flag|Bremen}}
|
| Anna Fischer<br />{{ill|Christoph Spehr|de}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 705
|-
| {{flag|Hamburg}}
|
| {{ill|Sabine Ritter|de}}<br />{{ill|Thomas Iwan|de}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 1,671
|-
| {{flag|Hesse}}
|
| {{ill|Christiane Böhm|de}}<br />Jakob Migenda
| style="text-align: right;" | {{increase}} 3,080
|-
| {{flag|Lower Saxony}}
|
| Franziska Junker <br />Thorben Peters
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 2,660
|-
| {{flag|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern}}
|
| Hennis Herbst
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 2,484
|-
| {{flag|North Rhine-Westphalia}}
| ]
| ]<br />Sascha H. Wagner
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 6,937
|-
| {{flag|Rhineland-Palatinate}}
|
| Stefan Glander<br/>Natalie Brosch
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 1,313
|-
| {{flag|Saarland}}
|
| ]
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 1,154
|-
| {{flag|Saxony}}
|
| ]<br />Stefan Hartmann
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 6,098
|-
| {{flag|Saxony-Anhalt}}
|
| Janina Böttger<br />{{ill|Hendrik Lange|de|Hendrik Lange (Politiker)}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 2,511
|-
| {{flag|Schleswig-Holstein}}
|
| Susanne Spethmann<br />Luca Grimminger
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 1,005
|-
| {{flag|Thuringia}}
|
| {{ill|Ulrike Grosse-Röthig|de}}<br />{{ill|Christian Schaft|de}}
| style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 3,184
|-
! colspan="3" | Total
! style="text-align: right;" | {{decrease}} 50,251
|}

===Internal factions===
The Left is noted for having an unusually strong and formalised system of internal factions, which are outlined in the party statutes. Factions with sufficiently large membership are entitled to send delegates to party congresses. The party is traditionally split between reformist factions, such as the Reform Left Network and Forum for Democratic Socialism, and orthodox factions such as the Communist Platform, Anti-Capitalist Left, and Socialist Left. The Emancipatory Left occupies a middle position.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/><ref name="Zus"/>

However, starting from 2015, the party underwent an internal realignment due to the preeminence of ], who advocated a return to a fundamentally working-class focus and populist positions in the wake of the ] and rise of the ]. In response, many eastern reformers and members of radical left factions allied in the broad "Movement Left" (''Bewegungslinke''), committed to social movements, environmentalism, and ] progressivism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1091290.stroemungen-in-der-linkspartei-die-neue-unuebersichtlichkeit.html|title=The new confusion|date=15 June 2018|language=de|website=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.counterfire.org/articles/analysis/23601-where-is-germany-s-die-linke-heading|title=Where is Germany's Die Linke heading?|date=11 November 2022|website=]}}</ref> The Movement Left broadly dominates the party, with no members of the Wagenknecht faction elected to the executive at the 2022 congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1164852.linke-parteitag-bewegungslinke-in-der-mehrheit.html|title=Left Congress: Movement Left in the majority|date=26 June 2022|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable style="font-size:90%; text-align:center"
! Faction
! Description
|-
| '''Anti-Capitalist Left'''<br />''{{small|Antikapitalische Linke (AKL)}}''
| A current founded in 2006 which seeks to strengthen the party's anti-capitalist profile. The AKL describe themselves as "movement-oriented" and seek cooperation with extra-parliamentary parties and left-wing movements. They are aligned with the orthodox left-wing of The Left, and believe that the party should only participate in ]s if a set of minimum criteria are met, including no ], no military operations, and no cuts to social welfare or the public service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antikapitalistische-linke.de/|title=akl Anti-Capitalist Left|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=Anti-Capitalist Left}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/antikapitalistische-linke/|title=Federations: Anti-Capitalist left|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref><ref name="BPBorganisation"/> The ] classifies the AKL as an extremist association. In 2020, the AKL had 1,060 members.<ref name="BfV2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/DE/2021/verfassungsschutzbericht-2020.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=5|title=Federal Constitutional Protection Report 2020|date=15 June 2021|publisher=]}}</ref> Prominent members include ], Cornelia Hirsch, ], ], and ].
|-
| ''']'''<br />''{{small|Kommunistische Plattform (KPF)}}''
| Originally formed as a tendency of the PDS. It is less critical of German Democratic Republic than other currents and upholds ] positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/kommunistische-plattform/|title=Communist Platform|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref><ref name="BPBorganisation"/> A "strategic goal" of the KPF is "building a new socialist society, using the positive experiences of ] and to learn from mistakes".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dielinke-brandenburg.de/fileadmin/Arbeitsgemeinschaften/Beschluss_der_Landeskonferenz_der_KPF.rtf|title=Beschluss der Landeskonferenz der Kommunistischen Plattform der Partei DIE LINKE des Landes Brandenburg vom 29.9.2007}}{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Its primary leader was ], former co-leader of the party's Bundestag faction. The BfV classifies the KPF as an extremist association. In 2020, the group had 1,122 members.<ref name="BfV2020"/>
|-
| '''Democratic Socialist Forum'''<br />''{{small|Forum demokratischer Sozialismus (fds)}}''
| A ] group<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum-ds.de/|title=Forum Democratic Socialism|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=Forum Democratic Socialism}}</ref> considered part of the reformist wing of the party.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> Originally founded in 2002 as the ''Forum Second Renewal'', it was reformed in 2007 to promote the positions of the PDS within the new Left party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/forum-demokratischer-sozialismus/|title=Forum Democratic Socialism|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref> It places emphasis on ] and social progressivism, and supports cooperation with the SPD and Greens. Prominent members include ] and Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg.
|-
| '''Ecological Platform'''<br />''{{small|Ökologische Plattform (ÖPF)}}''
| A current which promotes ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/oekologische-plattform/|title=Ecological Platform|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref> Founded in 1994 within the PDS, it is critical of capitalism and supports ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oekologische-plattform.de/uber-uns-seite/|title=About us|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=Ecological Platform}}</ref> The group describes itself as "a forum for all left-wing ecologists", and is expressly open to non-Left party members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oekologische-plattform.de/mitgliedschaft/|title=Membership|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=Ecological Platform}}</ref>
|-
| '''Emancipatory Left'''<br />''{{small|Emanzipatorische Linke (Ema.Li)}}''
| A ] current co-founded in May 2009 by ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307155525/https://emanzipatorische-linke.org/|url=http://www.emanzipatorische-linke.org/|title=Ema.Li|archive-date=7 March 2021|language=de|website=Emancipatory Left}}</ref> They advocate ], a decentralized society, and are supportive of ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/emanzipatorische-linke/|title=Emancipatory Left|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref> Ema.Li is described as holding a "middle position" between the reformist and orthodox wings of the party.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> The group accepts members of other factions as well as non-party members. Besides its co-founders, prominent members include Christoph Spehr and ].
|-
| '''Gera Dialogue/Socialist Dialogue'''<br />''{{small|Geraer Dialog/Sozialistischer Dialog (GD/SD)}}''
| Formed in February 2003 as a reaction to the increasing influence of reform-oriented groups such as the Reform Left Network. They opposed a shift away from Marxism and what they feared as a move toward a ] model.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiv2007.sozialisten.de/politik/publikationen/kpf-mitteilungen/view_html/n0/pp1/bs1/zid6450|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064108/http://archiv2007.sozialisten.de/politik/publikationen/kpf-mitteilungen/view_html/n0/pp1/bs1/zid6450|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=Die Linkspartei - Gera als Weltanschauung|date=4 March 2016}}</ref> As of 2021, the faction is only partly recognised within the party.<ref name="Zus"/> The BfV classified GD/SD as an extremist organisation in 2018, but did not include the group in its 2020 report.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/embed/vsbericht-2017.pdf|title=Report 2017|publisher=]|access-date=31 March 2020|archive-date=26 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726194219/https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/embed/vsbericht-2017.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="BfV2020"/>
|-
| '''Marxist Forum'''<br />''{{small|Marxistisches Forum (MF)}}''
| Founded in 1995 within the PDS to promote classical ]. It is critical of the reform-oriented wings and positions of the party and is often sympathetic to the GDR. As of 2021, the faction is only partly recognised within the party.<ref name="Zus"/> The BfV classified the group as "orthodox communist" and extremist in its 2018 report, and reported that it had 400 members.<ref name="BfV2018"/> The Marxist Forum did not appear in the BfV's 2020 report.<ref name="BfV2020"/>
|-
| '''Reform Left Network'''<br />''{{small|Netzwerk Reformlinke}}''
| Originally formed in 2003 as a tendency within PDS promoting ].<ref name="reformlinke">{{cite web|url=http://archiv2007.sozialisten.de/partei/strukturen/agigs/netzwerk_reformlinke/index.htm|title=Netzwerk Reformlinke|publisher=sozialisten.de|access-date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226152006/http://archiv2007.sozialisten.de/partei/strukturen/agigs/netzwerk_reformlinke/index.htm|archive-date=26 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is closely associated with the Democratic Socialist Forum, which was formed around the same time. The Reform Left Network strongly supports involvement in coalition governments with the SPD and Greens. It includes a number of prominent Left politicians, including Bundestag Vice-President ], and Saxony-Anhalt branch leader Wulf Gallert, as well as ], ], and ]. As of 2021, the faction is no longer recognised within the party.<ref name="Zus"/>
|-
| ''']'''<br />''{{small|Sozialistische Linke (SL)}}''
| Includes ] leftists and ], and seeks to orient the party toward the ]. It is considered part of the left wing of the party.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> Many leaders of the Socialist Left were formerly members of WASG, and the group models itself on the Dutch ] and the Italian ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/parteidemokratie/zusammenschluesse/sozialistische-linke/|title=Socialist Left|access-date=28 October 2021|language=de|website=The Left}}</ref> The revolutionary socialist current ] organises within SL, as it does not meet the requirements to become its own caucus. The BfV classifies the current as an extremist association. In 2020, the group had 1,000 members.<ref name="BfV2020"/> Leading members include ], ], ], and ].
|}

In addition to the recognised platforms, a number of smaller groups have aligned with The Left and its predecessors, such as the Trotskyist ] (SAV), though the membership applications of some of its leaders, including ], were initially rejected. ''Der Funke'', supporters of the ] (IMT) in Germany, pursue ] strategies in the party, while the ]-affiliated ] (ISO) also works inside The Left.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Foundation of an International Socialist Organisation (ISO)|url=https://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article4799|publisher=International Viewpoint|access-date=28 August 2021|date=9 December 2016}}</ref> Other left-wing groups, such as the ] (DKP), have formed local alliances with the party, but have not joined. The ] (VsP) also supports the party.

==Membership and electorate==
{{Image frame
| caption=Membership of The Left over time
| content = {{Graph:Chart
| width = 300
| height = 150
| type = line
| xAxisAngle = -45
| xAxisTitle = Year
| yAxisTitle = Membership
| yAxisMin = 0 <!--Not starting at zero exaggerates the changes-->
| x = 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
| y = 71711, 75968, 78046, 73658, 69458, 63761, 63756, 60551, 58989, 58910, 62300, 62016, 61055, 60350, 60681 <!--Percentage of electorate is better that absolute numbers.-->
| interpolate = monotone
| xGrid = yes
| yGrid = yes
| colors = #BE3075
}}
}}
According to regular studies by the ], in 2021 The Left's membership comprised 17% blue-collar workers and 32% white-collar workers, similar to the SPD, while 35% were civil servants and 10% self-employed. 51% of party members held an academic degree, and 33% were organized in ].<ref name="BPBsurvey2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/grundfragen/parteien-in-deutschland/zahlen-und-fakten/140358/soziale-zusammensetzung|title=The social composition of the parties' membership|date=21 October 2022|access-date=18 June 2023|language=de|website=]}}</ref> Prior to the merger with WASG, the voting base of PDS was an approximate cross-section of the population, favoured somewhat by more educated voters. Since the merger, The Left has become more favoured among working-class and poorer voters, which made up the core of WASG's support.<ref name="BPBelectorate"/>

Since the mid-2010s, the party has gained significant popularity among youth. Prior to the merger, PDS had by far the highest proportion of members over 60 years of any party, at 68%, and the lowest proportion of members under 30, at just 4%. By 2021, these numbers had fallen and risen, respectively, to 40% and 23%. The Left now is tied with the FDP in proportion of members under 30.<ref name="BPBsurvey2021"/> Two-thirds of members who joined the party between 2016 and 2018 were under 35 years of age. In the 2021 federal election, The Left was twice as popular among voters under 25 than among voters over 70.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-election-results-facts-and-figures/a-59343789|title=Germany's election results: Facts and figures|date=28 September 2021|website=]}}</ref>

The PDS inherited 170,000 members from the SED in 1990, but suffered constant decline from that point until the merger with WASG. Upon its formation, The Left had 71,000 members, of which 11,500 had been WASG members. Over the next two years the party grew, reaching a peak of 78,000 in 2009, after which point numbers began to decline. In 2016, the party had 59,000 members. This trend temporarily reversed following the 2017 federal election, and the party gained several thousand new members for a total of 62,300 in 2019;<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> however, membership shrank again to 60,350 in December 2020.<ref name="membership">{{cite web|url=https://www.die-linke.de/partei/ueber-uns/|title=About Us|access-date=15 April 2021|publisher=The Left}}</ref>

By the end of 2023, membership had fallen to 50,000. The secession of the Wagenknecht wing led to further losses. However, it also triggered an influx of new members: Tagesschau reported in July 2024 that 7,500 new entries had outweighed the losses and brought the total to 52,000. They also noted a generational turnover in the composition of the party: a quarter of its membership had joined in the previous two years, and this cohort disproportioantely comprised young people, students, and those in large cities.<ref name="Tagesschau 24-07-16">{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/linkspartei-mitglieder-100.html|title=Increase in membership: Is the Left Party recovering from the Wagenknecht shock?|date=16 July 2024|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

===Geography===
]
A large part of The Left's base and membership reside in the ] (the former GDR). The voting base of the PDS was limited almost entirely to the east; upon its formation, the vast majority of The Left's western membership came from WASG. However, the party has grown in the west in the years since: while in ], the Left.PDS list won just 45.5% of its votes in the western states, this grew to 57.7% in ], and 65.4% in ]. Between 2016 and 2018, 72% of new party members were from the western states, 15% from the east, and 13% from Berlin. During this period, the party's membership total in the west exceeded that of the east for the first time.<ref name="ND2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1090472.mitgliederentwicklung-der-linkspartei-die-linke-wird-juenger-und-westdeutscher.html|title=The Left is getting younger and more West German|date=7 June 2018|language=de|website=]}}</ref> As of 2021, 50% of The Left's members are from the west, 37% from the east, and 13% from Berlin.<ref name="branchmem"/>

Despite this, on the state level, the party has been marginalised in the west since making several breakthroughs in 2007–2010. Since 2010, it has lost representation in the Landtags of ], ], and ]. Generally growing popularity in the west has also been offset by major losses in most of its eastern heartland since 2014.<ref name="BPBelectorate">{{cite web|url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/FB25SL,0,DIE_LINKE_%96_W%E4hlerschaft_und_Mitglieder.html|title=Election results and electorate of the LEFT|date=16 July 2018|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

The Left's voter demographics are skewed strongly by region. In the east, Left voters and members trend much older: in 2018, 44% of the party's members in ] were 76 years or older.<ref name="ND2018"/> Meanwhile, in the west, the party membership is male-dominated, with two-thirds of western members being men.<ref name="BPBelectorate"/><ref name="branchmem"/>

===Women===
Women have been well-represented amongst elected representatives from The Left. The party's ] requires that at least half of the party's ruling bodies and representatives should be female. In 2021, the party elected two women, Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, as federal co-chairs for the first time. Female membership in the PDS was stable at around 45% during the 1990s and 2000s, far higher than any other party,<ref name="BPBsurvey2021"/> but fell to 39% post-merger in 2007 since the large majority of WASG members were male.<ref name="BPBorganisation"/> Nonetheless, the party had the highest representation of women in its membership until it was overtaken by the Greens in 2012. In 2021, 37% of Left members were female, compared to 42% for the Greens and 33% for the SPD.<ref name="BPBsurvey2021"/> After the 2009 election, the party's Bundestag group was 52.6% female, second only to the Greens (57.4%). In 2013, this increased slightly to 54.7%, which was the highest of any group.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/abgeordnete18/mdb_zahlen/frauen_maenner/260128|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415191337/https://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/abgeordnete18/mdb_zahlen/frauen_maenner/260128|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 April 2016|title=German Bundestag – women and men|date=September 2015|publisher=German Bundestag}}</ref> After both the 2017 and 2021 federal elections, The Left's group was 54% female, second to the Greens (58%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundestag.de/abgeordnete/biografien/mdb_zahlen_19/frauen_maenner-529508|title=German Bundestag – women and men|date=July 2019|publisher=German Bundestag}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-the-bundestag-could-use-more-women/a-59374736|title=Opinion: The Bundestag could use more women|date=2 October 2021|website=]}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===Observation by Constitutional Protection===
The ] (''Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz'', abbreviated as BfV or ''Verfassungsschutz'') is the German federal domestic ], tasked with ] on threats concerning the democratic order, the existence and security of the federation or one of its states. This includes monitoring and reporting on suspected ] groups and political parties. The ''Verfassungsschutz'' does not regard the party as ] or a threat to democracy,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.verfassungsschutz.niedersachsen.de/extremismus/linksextremismus/linksextremistische_parteien/offen-extremistische-zusammenschluesse-in-der-partei-die-linke-126453.html|title=Offen extremistische Zusammenschlüsse in der Partei DIE LINKE. &#124; Verfassungsschutz Niedersachsen|website=www.verfassungsschutz.niedersachsen.de}}</ref> but party members and groups within the party have been periodically monitored, sometimes leading to controversy. According to the 2018 report, radical factions are the ], ], ] ''AG Cuba Sí'', the Anti-capitalist Left, Marxist Forum, and Gera Dialogue/Socialist Dialogue. The ''Verfassungsschutz'' also monitors ] and Marx21, which have links with the Anti-Capitalist Left and the Socialist Left, respectively.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220215742/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/publikationen/verfassungsschutzbericht/ |date=20 February 2008 }}, 2007–2015, ]</ref> <ref name="BfV2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/DE/publikationen/themen/sicherheit/vsb-2018-gesamt.html|title=Verfassungsschutzbericht 2018|date=26 June 2019|publisher=]}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2023}}

The 2007 ''Verfassungsschutz'' report commented that in practice the parliamentary party appears as to act as a "reform-oriented" left force.<ref>'' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920151144/http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2007.pdf |date=20 September 2008 }}'', Federal Ministry of the Interior.</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2023}} In the past, The Left was under observation by all western German states. In January 2008, Saarland became the first to cease observation.<ref name="welt.de" /> As of 2008, the authorities of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and Lower Saxony considered The Left in its entirety to be extremist.<ref>, tagesschau.de, 16. January 2008, accessed 16 March 2008</ref> In the five eastern states, The Left is not under surveillance, as state constitutional authorities see no indication of anti-constitutional tendencies in the bulk of the party; however, the Communist Platform is under observation in three eastern states.<ref name="Netzeitung-Juni"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122182355/http://www.netzeitung.de/deutschland/675695.html |date=22 January 2009 }}, netzeitung.de, 18 June 2007, accessed 16 March 2008</ref>

Surveillance of party members has been a point of controversy. ], a prominent Left politician in Thuringia, was under surveillance until a court ruling in January 2008 that this was illegal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.justiz.nrw.de/nrwe/ovgs/vg_koeln/j2007/20_K_3077_06urteil20071213.html |title=Aktenzeichen: 20 K 3077/06, 20 K 6242/03 |publisher=Justiz.nrw.de |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2023}}<ref name="welt.de">, Welt Online, 17 January 2008, accessed 16 March 2008</ref> In January 2012, {{Lang|de|]}} reported that 27 of the party's 76 Bundestag members were under surveillance, as well as 11 of the party's members of various state parliaments. This included nearly the entirety of the party's Bundestag leadership, federal co-leader ], deputy leader ], and ] ]. Many of those under surveillance were not associated with acknowledged extremist factions of the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/alexander-dobrindt-csu-generalsekretaer-bringt-verbot-der-linken-ins-spiel/6126392.html |title=Alexander Dobrindt: CSU-Generalsekretär bringt Verbot der Linken ins Spiel |language=de |publisher=Handelsblatt |date=30 January 2012 |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> This surveillance was criticised by the SPD, Greens, and FDP; federal Justice Minister ] described it as "intolerable".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/geheimdienst-verfassungsschutz-beobachtet-27-linken-abgeordnete-a-810651.html|title=Verfassungsschutz beobachtet 27 Linken-Abgeordnete|date=22 January 2012|publisher=Der Spiegel}}</ref> In October 2013, the ] deemed the surveillance of Bundestag members unconstitutional except in extraordinary circumstances, such as if the member was abusing their office to undermine the constitutional order, or otherwise actively fighting against it.<ref name="tagesspiegel">{{cite news|url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/innenministerium-prueft-konsequenzen-ueberwachung-von-ramelow-verfassungswidrig/8906370.html|title=Bundesverfassungsgericht verbietet Überwachung von Bodo Ramelow|newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online|date=9 October 2013|publisher=tagesspiegel.de|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> Federal Minister of the Interior ] subsequently announced that none of The Left's Bundestag members would be surveilled, even those affiliated with the factions considered extremist by the ''Verfassungsschutz''.<ref name="tagesschau">{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/linkspartei-verfassungsschutz100.html|title=Verfassungsschutz reagiert auf Urteil: Linken-Abgeordnete ohne Beobachtung – tagesschau.de|publisher=tagesschau.de|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref>

===Extremism and populism===
Both media and political scientists have discussed whether The Left should be considered extremist in nature.<ref name="Eckhard Jesse: Die Linke,">See, for example, Frank Decker, Viola Neu: ''Handbuch der deutschen Parteien,'' VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2007, p. 323 ff.; Eckhard Jesse, Jürgen P. Lang: ''Die Linke – der smarte Extremismus einer deutschen Partei.'' Olzog Verlag, Munich 2008; for the past history of PDS: Steffen Kailitz: ''Politischer Extremismus in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland'', Wiesbaden 2004, p. 82 ff. and for suspicion of extremism in the party as a whole: , and a rebuke: </ref> Journalists from outlets including the ],<ref name="BBC-5-11-14">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30342441|title=Die Linke triumph: Mixed reaction as German far-left gains power|date=5 December 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> '']'',<ref name="Guardian-18-09-09">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/17/german-elections-die-linke-party|title=Die Linke party wins German votes by standing out from crowd|last=Connolly|first=Kate|date=18 September 2009|work=]}}</ref> ],<ref name="Euronews-20-11-14">{{cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2014/11/20/far-left-die-linke-take-charge-of-german-region|title=Far-left Die Linke take charge of German region|date=20 November 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> and {{Lang|de|]}}<ref name="Spiegel-19-09-13">{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-left-party-strong-but-shunned-by-mainstream-a-922870.html|title=German Left Party a Would-Be Kingmaker|date=19 September 2013|publisher=]}}</ref> have described the party as ], while other journalists writing for the same publications (minus {{lang|de|Der Spiegel}}) have referred to the party as left-wing.<ref>{{cite news |date= 4 January 2019 |title= German politicians targeted in mass data attack |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46757009.amp |work= BBC News |access-date= 7 December 2023 |quote= The main parliamentary groups including the ruling centre-right and centre-left parties, as well as The Greens, left-wing Die Linke and FDP.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Oltermann |first= Philip |date= 15 May 2023 |title= German Greens suffer setback in Bremen local election |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/15/german-greens-suffer-setback-in-bremen-local-election |work= The Guardian |access-date= 7 December 2023 |quote= This gives the centre-left the option to either continue governing with the Greens and the left-wing Die Linke, or form a “grand coalition” with the second-placed conservatives.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Sandford |first= Alasdair |date= 5 February 2020 |title= German state governor steps down after winning election with far-right help |url= https://www.euronews.com/2020/02/05/german-politics-shaken-as-far-right-afd-becomes-kingmaker-in-eastern-state |work= Euronews |access-date= 7 December 2023 |quote= Early rounds of voting in the parliament led to expectations that the left-wing Die Linke party would stay in office as head of a “red-red-green” coalition.}}</ref> Among academics, there is a general consensus that at least some sections of the party are extremist; however, political scientist ] states that they make up less than ten percent of the party membership – 5,000 of 62,000 members according to the BfV – and compete for resources among themselves, and there is little risk of these groups becoming dominant and exerting major influence over the party's leadership and platform.<ref>Richard Stöss: </ref> ] states that, while The Left is far more accepting of the Basic Law than parties like the ], the presence of its extremist factions means the party overall represents a "soft left-wing extremism".<ref>Eckhard Jesse: </ref> Political scientist ] states that the party is well-integrated within the constitutional order, and "has actually rendered considerable services to German democracy" through the integration of East German protest movement into the parliamentary system. Nonetheless, he criticises the party's continued association with extremist groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/gohlke-linke-afd-verfassungsschutz-1.4795496|title=Left Party: 'I wonder what threat the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is hallucinating'|date=12 February 2020|language=de|website=]}}</ref>

The Left has also been characterised as ]<ref name="keating">{{cite book|editor1=Michael Keating |editor2=David McCrone|title=The Crisis of Social Democracy in Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJskDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA140|year=2013|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=978-0748665822|page=147}}</ref> by researchers such as ]<ref>]: . In: ''From Politics and Contemporary History'' 45 (2008) 47, p. 12–18.</ref> and Tilman Mayer.<ref>]: ''Left-wing populism as a challenge. For the demagogical siphoning of resentments''. In: ''The Political Opinion'', Nr. 465, August 2008, pp. 15–18, here: p. 15, 17 ().</ref> Florian Hartleb states that the party is "social-populist".<ref>Florian Hartleb: ''Populism – a central characteristic of party politics in turbulent times?''. In: Friso Wielanga, Florian Hartleb (ed.): ''Populism in modern democracy. The Netherlands and Germany in comparison''. Waxmann, Münster u. a. 2011, {{ISBN|978-3-8309-2444-9}}, pp. 105–127, here: p. 117.</ref> According to Frank Decker, the party during the leadership of Oskar Lafontaine could be described as left-wing populist.<ref>Frank Decker: ''From a protest phenomenon to a permanent political phenomenon: right-wing and left-wing populism in Western Europe''. In: Uwe Backes, Alexander Gallus, Eckhard Jesse (ed.): '']'', 27th year (2015), Nomos, Baden-Baden 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-8487-2522-9}}, pp. 57–72, here: p. 59.</ref> In 2011, Bundestag deputy and later party co-leader Katja Kipping stated that she believed The Left needed "a double strategy social-ecological restructuring plus left-wing populism" to become attractive to voters. She elaborated: "Left-wing populism means targeting those who are marginalized in our society in a targeted and pointed manner."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/linken-vize-katja-kipping-im-interview-wir-muessen-uns-der-gruenen-herausforderung-stellen/4070954.html|title=We have to face the green challenge|date=18 April 2011|publisher=]}}</ref>

===Association with the SED===
The Left's position as the successor of the PDS and SED has made it subject to significant controversy and criticism, as well as claims that the party is sympathetic to the former GDR.<ref>, spiegel.de, 25 September 2009, accessed 25 September 2009</ref> Former member ], who served as co-leader of the party's Bundestag group from 2015 to 2019, is well known for her controversial statements on this issue. In a 2009 interview, she rejected the characterisation of East Germany as a dictatorship or unconstitutional state ({{langx|de|]}}).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/article3954333/Sahra-Wagenknecht-verspottet-neoliberale-SPD.html|title=Sahra Wagenknecht mocks "neoliberal SPD"|date=19 June 2009|newspaper=]|last1=Hollstein|first1=Miriam}}</ref>

Other incidents include a walkout conducted in 2007 by the Left's delegation in the ] during a ] ceremony<ref>{{cite web|author=Sächsischer Landtag |url=http://www.landtag.sachsen.de/de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/1378_3646.aspx |title=Sächsischer Landtag feiert Tag der Deutschen Einheit – Festredner Joachim Gauck: "Freiheit wagen – Verantwortung leben" |publisher=Landtag.sachsen.de |date=13 April 2012 |access-date=3 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303151803/http://www.landtag.sachsen.de/de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/1378_3646.aspx |archive-date=3 March 2012 }}</ref> in protest of the presence of ], former East German pro-democracy campaigner and later ], who was the keynote speaker at the event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/BILD/politik/2010/06/05/wulff-und-gauck-im-interview/kandidat-joachim-gauck/linke/warum-die-linke-gauck-nicht-waehlt.html |title=Kandidaten für das Amt des Bundespräsidenten: Warum "Die Linke" Joachim Gauck nicht wählt |language=de |publisher=Bild.de |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=3 June 2012}}</ref> The Left's state leader André Hahn claimed that Gauck did not deliver an "appropriate or balanced speech", arguing he had "an absolutely one-sided view of the GDR."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/sachsen-linke-boykottiert-einheitsfeier-wegen-gauck-rede/1054930.html|title=Left boycotts unity celebration over Gauck speech|newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online|date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

==Election results==

===Federal Parliament (''Bundestag'')===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! rowspan=2| Election
! colspan=2| Constituency
! colspan=2| Party list
! rowspan=2| Seats
! rowspan=2| +/–
! rowspan=2| Status
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
! ]
| 4,791,124
| 11.1 (#3)
| 5,155,933
| 11.9 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|76|622|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 22
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| 3,585,178
| 8.2 (#3)
| 3,755,699
| 8.6 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|64|631|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 12
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| 3,966,035
| 8.6 (#4)
| 4,296,762
| 9.2 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|69|709|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 5
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| 2,306,755
| 5.0 (#7)
| 2,269,993
| 4.9 (#7)
| {{Composition bar|39|735|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 30
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|}

===European Parliament===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:center;"
|-
! Election
! List leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! EP Group
|-
! ]
| ]
| 1,968,325
| 7.48 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|8|99|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| New
| rowspan=4 | ]
|-
! ]
| ]
| 2,167,641
| 7.39 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|7|96|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
! ]
| rowspan=2 | ]
| 2,056,010
| 5.50 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|5|96|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ]
| 1,091,268
| 2.74 (#8)
| {{Composition bar|3|96|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|}

===State Parliaments (''Länder'')===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! State parliament
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Status
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 173,295
| 3.6 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|0|154|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 200,795
| 1.5 (#7)
| {{Composition bar|0|203|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 184,954
| 12.2 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|22|147|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 44,692
| 3.0 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|0|88|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 10
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| {{nowrap|No seats}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 137,676
| {{nowrap|10.9 (#4)}}
| {{Composition bar|10|87|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| {{yes2|SPD–Greens–Left}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 364,102
| 9.1 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|13|123|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 86,821
| 3.1 (#7)
| {{Composition bar|0|133|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 9
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| {{nowrap|No seats}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 98,585
| 2.7 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|0|146|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| {{nowrap|No seats}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 90,865
| 9.9 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|9|79|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
| {{yes2|SPD–Left}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 146,634
| 2.1 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|0|195|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 48,210
| 2.5 (#7)
| {{Composition bar|0|101|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 11,689
| 2.6 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|0|51|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 104,888
| 4.5 (#6)
| {{Composition bar|5|119|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{nowrap|{{decrease}} 9}}
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 116,927
| 11.0 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|12|97|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 23,035
| 1.7 (#7)
| {{Composition bar|0|69|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
|-
! ]
| align=center| ]
| 157,641
| 13.1 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|12|90|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 17
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+'''Best historic results for state parties'''
!State
!Seats / Total
! %
!Position/Gov.
!Year
!Lead Candidate
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|0|154|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 3.6 (#6)
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Sahra Mirow
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|0|187|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 4.4 (#6)
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Fritz Schmalzbauer
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|33|141|hex={{party color|Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)}}}}
| 22.6 (#3)
| {{yes2|SPD–PDS}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]<br />{{small|(as ])}}
| ] (Deputy Governing Mayor 2002)
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|26|88|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 27.2 (#2)
| {{yes2|SPD–The Left}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|10|84|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 11.3 (#4)
| {{yes2|SPD–Greens–Left}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Kristina Vogt
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|13|123|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 9.1 (#4)
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|9|137|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 6.3 (#6)
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ]<br />]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|11|152|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 7.1 (#5)
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Kreszentia Flauger
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|20|71|hex={{party color|Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)}}}}
| 24.4 (#3)
| {{yes2|SPD–PDS}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]<br />{{small|(as ])}}
| ] (Deputy Minister-President 1998–2002)
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|11|181|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 5.6 (#5)
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|0|101|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 3,0 (#5)
| align=center style="background:#ddd;"| No seats
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Robert Drumm<br />Tanja Krauth
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|11|51|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 21.3 (#3)
| {{no|Opposition Leader}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|31|124|hex={{party color|Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)}}}}
| 23.6 (#2)
| {{no|Opposition Leader}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]<br />{{small|(as ])}}
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|25|116|hex={{party color|Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)}}}}
| 19.6 (#3)
| {{partial|SPD minority}}<br /><small>''with PDS confidence and supply''</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| ]<br />{{small|(as ])}}
| ]
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|6|95|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 6.0 (#5)
| {{no2|Opposition}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| Antje Jansen
|-
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"| {{composition bar|29|90|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| 31.0 (#1)
| {{yes|Left–SPD–Greens minority}}
| style="text-align:center;"| ]
| ] (Minister-President 2014–2020, 2020–2024)
|}

====State results timeline====
{{hidden begin
|title = State parliaments
|titlestyle = background:lightgrey; text-align:center;
}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Baden-Württemberg'''
As of December 2007, The Left hasn't yet adopted its own party program. This is planned for 2008. In March 2007, during the joint party congress of Left Party and WASG, a document outlining political principles was agreed on. In labour market and fiscal policies, those include solidarity and more co-determination for workers, redistribution of wealth through different means (including tax increases for corporations and big companies), the end of privatization and the introduction of a ].
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 139,700
| 2.8
| {{Composition bar|0|138|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 156,211
| 2.9
| {{Composition bar|0|138|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 173,317
| 3.6
| {{Composition bar|0|138|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Bavaria'''
Concerning international politics, The Left welcomes the European Process towards integration, while opposing all forms of militarism rising in the current political climate and the market-oriented policies of the ]. The party strives for the democratization of the EU institutions and a stronger role of the ] in international politics.
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 461,755
| 4.4
| {{Composition bar|0|187|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 251,097
| 2.1
| {{Composition bar|0|180|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 435,949
| 3.2
| {{Composition bar|0|205|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 200,878
| 1.5
| {{Composition bar|0|203|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Berlin'''
== Elections and support ==
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 225,689
| 16.3
| {{Composition bar|23|141|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 10
|-
! ''']'''
| 170,829
| 11.6
| {{Composition bar|20|152|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 255,740
| 15.6
| {{Composition bar|27|160|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 7
|-
! ''']'''
| 255,231
| 14.0
| {{Composition bar|26|160|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Brandenburg'''
Through previous elections that the PDS contested, the Left Party holds seats in the ] of ], ], ], ], ] and ].
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 377,084
| 27.2
| {{Composition bar|26|88|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 183,172
| 18.6
| {{Composition bar|17|88|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 9
|-
! ''']'''
| 135,572
| 10.7
| {{Composition bar|10|88|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
|-
! ''']'''
| 44,692
| 3.0
| {{Composition bar|0|88|hex={{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 10
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Bremen'''
In the ], seven party members were elected to the state parliament. This was the first breakthrough for the PDS-WASG in a former ] state.<ref>"," ''The Economist'' (17 May 2007).</ref> The new Left Party continued to make gains in the western states following the January 2008 state elections in ] and ], as well as the February 2008 ].
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 23,282
| 8.4
| {{Composition bar|7|83|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 7
|-
! ''']'''
| 73,769
| 5.6
| {{Composition bar|5|83|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 115,385
| 9.5
| {{Composition bar|8|83|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 166,378
| 11.3
| {{Composition bar|10|84|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 137,676
| 10.9
| {{Composition bar|10|84|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Hamburg'''
As a result of the Hesse election results, state SPD leader ] sought to form a ] with the Greens, which would require the external support of the Left deputies. This would have been the first time that the Left formed any alliance with a government in a western state. The SPD and Left state parties ratified agreements for such an alliance. However, the move was controversial, since Ypsilanti had promised during the election not to work the Left Party. After months of debates and negotiations, the proposed government was scheduled to be brought to a vote in the Hessen Lantag on ], ]. One the eve of the vote, four SPD deputies broke with ] and declared they would vote against Ypsilanti, effectively ending the possibility of a minority government.<ref>"," ''The Economist'' (6 November 2008).</ref> As a result, new elections will likely take place in January 2009. Ypsilanti stepped down as the SPD's chief candidate, and she has been replaced by party deputy ].<ref>"," ''Der Spiegel'' (8 November 2008).</ref><ref>Christian Teevs, "," ''Der Spiegel'' (12 November 2008).</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 50,173
| 6.4
| {{Composition bar|8|121|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 8
|-
! ''']'''
| 220,428*
| 6.4
| {{Composition bar|8|121|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 300,567*
| 8.5
| {{Composition bar|11|121|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 364,102*
| 9.1
| {{Composition bar|12|121|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
|-
| colspan=5 | <small>''*) five votes per voter''</small>
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Hesse'''
The Left contested an election in Bavaria for the first time in the September 2008 ]. It garnered 4.3 percent of the vote, which was just short of the 5 percent necessary to win seats in the Landtag.
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 140,769
| 5.1
| {{Composition bar|6|110|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 6
|-
! ''']'''
| 139,074
| 5.4
| {{Composition bar|6|118|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 161,488
| 5.2
| {{Composition bar|6|110|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 181,263
| 6.3
| {{Composition bar|9|137|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 86,842
| 3.1
| {{Composition bar|0|133|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 9
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Mecklenburg-Vorpommern'''
In the ], Oskar Lafontaine's home state, the Left Party has out-polled all other parties with 24 percent support. This is a first for the party in the west. Saarland will hold its next state election in August 2009.<ref>"," ''Der Spiegel'' (3 September 2008).</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 141,534
| 17.3
| {{Composition bar|13|71|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 125,528
| 18.4
| {{Composition bar|14|71|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
|-
! ''']'''
| 106,259
| 13.2
| {{Composition bar|11|71|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 90,865
| 9.9
| {{Composition bar|9|79|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Lower Saxony'''
Ahead of the ], the Left has approximately 12-15 percent support nationally, according to most polls.<ref name="polls" /><ref>"," ''Der Spiegel'' (4 June 2008).</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 243,361
| 7.1
| {{Composition bar|11|152|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 11
|-
! ''']'''
|110,525
| 3.1
| {{Composition bar|0|137|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 11
|-
! ''']'''
| 177,118
| 4.6
| {{Composition bar|0|137|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 98,585
| 2.7
| {{Composition bar|0|146|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}


'''North Rhine-Westphalia'''
In October 2008 the Left Party nominated '']'' actor and activist ] as their candidate for the ].<ref>"," statement by Bisky, Gysi and Lafontaine (14 October 2008).</ref> Since the German president is chosen by the ], consisting of all members of the Bundestag and an equal number of ]-selected delegates, it is very unlikely that Sodann will win.
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 254,977
| 3.1
| {{Composition bar|0|187|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 435,627
| 5.6
| {{Composition bar|11|181|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 11
|-
! ''']'''
| 194,428
| 2.5
| {{Composition bar|0|237|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 11
|-
! ''']'''
| 415,936
| 4.9
| {{Composition bar|0|199|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 146,634
| 2.1
| {{Composition bar|0|195|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Rhineland-Palatinate'''
== Currents and tendencies ==
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 44,826
| 2.6
| {{Composition bar|0|101|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 56,054
| 3.0
| {{Composition bar|0|101|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 60,074
| 2.8
| {{Composition bar|0|138|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 48,210
| 2.5
| {{Composition bar|0|138|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Saarland'''
The Left Party has a number of internal ], most often referred to as ] or forums.
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 113,660
| 21.5
| {{Composition bar|11|51|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 11
|-
! ''']'''
| 77,612
| 16.1
| {{Composition bar|9|51|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 68,566
| 12.9
| {{Composition bar|7|51|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 11,689
| 2.6
| {{Composition bar|0|51|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 7
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Saxony'''
=== Anticapitalist Left ===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
The (''Antikapitalistische Linke'') represents those critical of participation in ]s. They believe that government participation or support should be dependent on a set of minimum demands (including no ]s, no war funding, and no cuts in social spending). As its name suggests, the group seeks to position the party firmly against any form of capitalism. Prominent representatives of this group are ], ], Cornelia Hirsch und Ulla Jelpke.
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 370,359
| 20.6
| {{Composition bar|29|132|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 309,568
| 18.9
| {{Composition bar|27|126|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! ''']'''
| 224,411
| 10.4
| {{Composition bar|14|119|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 13
|-
! ''']'''
| 104,891
| 4.5
| {{Composition bar|6|120|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 8
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Saxony-Anhalt'''
=== Communist Platform ===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
The ] (''Kommunistische Plattform'', KPF) was originally formed as a tendency of the PDS. It is less critical of German Democratic Republic than other groupings, and it promotes orthodox Marxist positions in debates. Its primary leader is ].
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 217,295
| 24.1
| {{Composition bar|26|97|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
|-
! ''']'''
| 235,011
| 23.7
| {{Composition bar|29|105|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
|-
! ''']'''
| 183,296
| 16.3
| {{Composition bar|16|87|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 13
|-
! ''']'''
| 116,927
| 11.0
| {{Composition bar|12|97|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 4
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-start}}
{{col-2}}


'''Schleswig-Holstein'''
=== Democratic Socialist Forum ===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
The (''Forum demokratischer Sozialismus'') is a ] faction that was originally part of the PDS. It supports continued participation in the state governments of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is closest to the Reform Left Network.
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 95,764
| 6.0
| {{Composition bar|6|95|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 6
|-
! ''']'''
| 29,900
| 2.2
| {{Composition bar|0|69|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 6
|-
! ''']'''
| 56,018
| 3.8
| {{Composition bar|0|73|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|-
! ''']'''
| 23,054
| 1.7
| {{Composition bar|0|69|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{steady}} 0
|}
{{col-2}}


'''Thuringia'''
=== Emancipatory Left ===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%; text-align:right;"
The (''Emanzipatorische Linke'', Ema.Li) is a current that endorses ] principles. It backs a decentralized society and support ]s. One of Ema.Li's primary spokespersons is ], and most of its conveners are from the ] branch of the party.
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/−
|-
! ''']'''
| 288,932
| 27.4
| {{Composition bar|27|88|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
|-
! ''']'''
| 265,425
| 28.2
| {{Composition bar|28|91|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
|-
! ''']'''
| 343,738
| 31.0
| {{Composition bar|29|90|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
|-
! ''']'''
| 157,641
| 31.0
| {{Composition bar|12|88|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}}}
| {{increase}} 17
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
{{hidden end}}


=== Reform Left Network === ===Results timeline===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:80%; text-align:center"
The (''Netzwerk Reformlinke'') was originally formed in 2003 as a tendency in the PDS. It promotes ] positions and supports cooperation with the SPD and the Greens. A prominent member of the network is ].
|-
! Party
! Year
! {{flagicon|Germany}}<br />]
! {{flagicon|European Union}}<br />]
! class="unsortable"|
! {{flagicon|Baden-Württemberg}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Bavaria}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Berlin}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Brandenburg}}<br />]
! {{flagicon|Bremen}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Hamburg}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Hesse}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Lower Saxony}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|North Rhine-Westphalia}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Rhineland-Palatinate}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saarland}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saxony}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saxony-Anhalt}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Schleswig-Holstein}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Thuringia}}<br />]
|-
! rowspan=15| ]
! 1990
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 2.4
| rowspan=4|
| rowspan=35 bgcolor=lightgrey|
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=4|
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 9.2
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 13.4
|
|
|
| rowspan=4|
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 15.7
| rowspan=5|
|
| rowspan=4|
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 10.2
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 12.0
| rowspan=2|
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 9.7
|-
! 1991
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=2 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
|-
! 1992
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
|-
! 1993
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
|-
! 1994
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 4.4
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 4.7
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 18.7
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 22.7
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 16.5
| bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 19.9
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 16.6
|-
! 1995
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 14.6
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| 2.4
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{efn|Tolerating an SPD–Green ].}}
|-
! 1996
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
|-
! 1997
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| 0.7
|-
! 1998
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 5.1
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 0.2
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''24.4'''
| bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 19.6
|-
! 1999
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 5.8
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 17.7
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 23.3
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 2.9
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 0.8
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 22.2
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{efn|Tolerating an SPD ].}}
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 21.3
|-
! 2000
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 1.1
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 1.4
|-
! 2001
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''22.6'''
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 0.4
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 0.0
|-
! 2002
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 4.0
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 16.4
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 20.4
|-
! 2003
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 1.7
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 0.4
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
|-
! 2004
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 6.1
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''28.0'''
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"|
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 2.3
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''23.6'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 26.1
|-
! rowspan=2| ]<br />& ]
! 2005
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 8.7
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 3.1
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 0.5
|-
! 2006
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| 3.1
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 13.4
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 16.8
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 2.7
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''24.1'''
|-
! rowspan=18| The Left
! 2007
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 8.4
|-
! 2008
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| '''4.4'''
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 6.4
| rowspan=1 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| 5.1
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''7.1'''
|-
! 2009
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''11.9'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''7.5'''
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 27.2
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 5.4
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''21.3'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 20.6
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''6.0'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 27.4
|-
! 2010
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''5.6'''
|-
! 2011
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.8
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 11.6
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 5.6
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{steady}} 6.4
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 18.4
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''3.0'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 23.7
|-
! 2012
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.5
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 16.1
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.3
|-
! 2013
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 8.6
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.1
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 5.2
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 3.1
|-
! 2014
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 7.4
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 18.6
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 18.9
| bgcolor=#D66C9F style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 28.2
|-
! 2015
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 9.5
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 8.5
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#D66C9F style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}
|-
! 2016
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 2.9
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 15.6
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 13.2
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.8
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 16.3
|-
! 2017
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 9.2
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 4.6
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 4.9
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 12.8
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 3.8
|-
! 2018
| rowspan=5 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 3.2
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''6.3'''
|-
! 2019
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 5.5
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 10.7
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''11.3'''
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 10.4
| bgcolor=#D66C9F style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''31.0'''
|-
! 2020
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=5 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''9.1'''
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#D66C9F style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}
|-
! 2021
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 4.9
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} '''3.6'''
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 14.0<br />{{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 9.9
| rowspan=4 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.5
| rowspan=4 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 11.0
|-
! 2022
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.7
| rowspan=3 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="border-top-style:hidden"| {{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.1
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.6
| rowspan=3 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 1.7
|-
! 2023
| rowspan=2 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 1.5
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 12.2
| rowspan=2 bgcolor=#E29FBF style="vertical-align:top"| {{increase}} 10.9<br />{{Colour box|{{party color|Social Democratic Party of Germany}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|Alliance 90/The Greens}}|border=silver}}{{Colour box|{{party color|The Left (Germany)}}|border=silver}}
| rowspan=2 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 3.1
|-
! 2024
| bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 2.7
| {{decrease}} 3.0
| bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 4.5
| bgcolor=#E8CAD8 style="vertical-align:top"| {{decrease}} 13.1
|-
! Party
! Year
! {{flagicon|Germany}}<br />]
! {{flagicon|European Union}}<br />]
! class="unsortable"|
! {{flagicon|Baden-Württemberg}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Bavaria}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Berlin}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Brandenburg}}<br />]
! {{flagicon|Bremen}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Hamburg}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Hesse}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Lower Saxony}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Mecklenburg-Vorpommern}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|North Rhine-Westphalia}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Rhineland-Palatinate}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saarland}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saxony}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Saxony-Anhalt}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Schleswig-Holstein}}<br />] !! {{flagicon|Thuringia}}<br />]
|-
| colspan=21 align=left| '''Bold''' indicates best result to date.<br />{{Colour box|#E4C2D3|border=silver}} Present in legislature (in opposition)<br />{{Colour box|#E29FBF|border=silver}} Junior coalition partner<br />{{Colour box|#D66C9F|border=silver}} Senior coalition partner
|}


=== Socialist Left === ==See also==
*]
The ] (''Sozialistische Linke'') was formed in August 2006 and includes ] and ]. The group seeks to orient the party toward the ]. Many leaders of the Socialist Left were former members of the WASG. Socialist Left sympathizes with the Dutch ] and the Italian ].
*]
*]
*]


==Notes==
In addition to the main platforms, a number of small far-left groups have joined the Left Party since its formation. These include '']'' (liquidated, now known as Marx21). Other groups, such as the ] and the ], have formed local alliances with the Left but have not joined the party.
{{notelist}}


== References == ==References==
{{reflist}}


==Literature==
{{reflist|2}}
*Dominic Heilig, , Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, April 2016
*David F. Patton. ''Out of the East: From PDS to Left Party in Unified Germany'' (State University of New York Press; 2011)
*], ''Honeckers Erben. Die Wahrheit über Die Linke''. Propyläen, Berlin 2009, {{ISBN|978-3-549-07329-2}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Elo|first1=Kimmo|year=2008|title=The Left Party and the Long-Term Developments of the German Party System|journal=German Politics and Society|volume=26 |issue=88 |pages=50–68|doi=10.3167/gps.2008.260303}}
*{{cite journal|last1=Hough|first1=Dan|last2=Koß|first2=Michael|year=2009 |title= Populism Personified or Reinvigorated Reformers? The German Left Party in 2009 and Beyond|journal=German Politics and Society|volume=27|issue=91|pages=76–91|doi=10.3167/gps.2009.270206}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category|Die Linke}}
*{{De icon}}
* {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}}
*{{En icon}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210617/http://die-linke.de/fileadmin/download/international/programmatic_points.pdf|date=27 September 2007|title=Programmatic Points}}
*{{En icon}}
*{{De icon}}
*{{En icon}}
*{{En icon}}
*{{En icon}}
*http://www.bundesbank.de/download/ezb/monatsberichte/2008/200810.mb_ezb.pdf


*Ingar Solty, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227075529/http://www.rosalux.de/cms/fileadmin/rls_uploads/pdfs/Themen/leftparties/pdfs/Solty-en-Nov17.pdf |date=27 February 2008 }}, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
{{Parties of Germany}}
*
* {{in lang|de}}
*
*
* by Ingar Solty and Frank Deppe, in Toronto, Canada, 18 March 2008
*, Toronto, Canada, 13 November 2009


] {{The Left (Germany)}}
{{Party of the European Left}}
]
{{parties of Germany}}
]
{{authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 00:24, 2 January 2025

German political party

The Left Die Linke
Chairpersons
Deputy Chairpersons
SecretaryJanis Ehling
Founded16 June 2007 (2007-06-16)
Merger ofPDS
WASG
HeadquartersKarl-Liebknecht-Haus Kleine Alexanderstraße 28 D-10178 Berlin
Think tankRosa Luxemburg Foundation
Student wingDie Linke.SDS
Youth wingLeft Youth Solid
Membership (July 2024)Increase 52,000
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Left-wing populism
Political positionLeft-wing
European affiliationParty of the European Left
European Parliament groupThe Left in the European Parliament
Colours  Red (official)
  Purple (customary)
Bundestag28 / 736
Bundesrat4 / 69
State Parliaments92 / 1,894
European Parliament3 / 96
Heads of State Governments0 / 16
Party flag
Website
en.die-linke.de Edit this at Wikidata
 A: A broad left-wing party, it has also been described as far-left by some news outlets.

The Left (German: Die Linke [diː ˈlɪŋkə]), commonly referred to as the Left Party (German: Die Linkspartei [diː ˈlɪŋkspaʁˌtaɪ] ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative. Through the PDS, the party is the direct descendant of the Marxist–Leninist ruling party of former East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). Since October 2024, The Left's co-chairpersons have been Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken. The party holds 28 seats out of 736 in the Bundestag, the federal legislature of Germany, having won 4.9% of votes cast in the 2021 German federal election. Its parliamentary group is the second-smallest of seven in the Bundestag, and is headed by parliamentary co-leaders Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann.

The Left is represented in eight of Germany's sixteen state legislatures, including all five of the eastern states. As of 2024, the party participates in governments in the states of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as a junior partner. From 2014 to 2024 the party led a coalition in Thuringia with the Social Democratic Party and The Greens headed by Minister-President Bodo Ramelow. The Left is a founding member of the Party of the European Left, and is the third-largest party in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament. In December 2022, The Left had 54,214 registered members, making it the sixth-largest party in Germany by membership, this decreased further to 50,251 members in December 2023. The Left promotes left-wing populism, anti-fascism and anti-militarism, and is neutral on European integration.

In late 2023, prominent member Sahra Wagenknecht and several supporters split from the party and formed Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, resulting in the dissolution of The Left's official faction in the Bundestag.

History

Background

Main article: Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)

The main predecessor of The Left was the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), which emerged from the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) of East Germany (GDR). In October 1989, facing increasing unpopularity, the SED replaced long-time leader Erich Honecker with Egon Krenz, who began a program of limited reforms, including the legalisation of opposition groups. He also loosened restrictions on travel between East and West Berlin, which inadvertently led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The SED gave up its "leading role" in November, and Krenz resigned soon afterward. He was succeeded by Gregor Gysi, part of a group of reformers who supported the Peaceful Revolution. His ally Hans Modrow, the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers, became the de facto national leader.

Seeking to change its image, the party expelled most of its former leadership, including Honecker and Krenz; the new government negotiated with opposition groups and arranged free elections. By the time of a special congress in mid-December, the SED was no longer a Marxist-Leninist party. It added Party of Democratic Socialism to its name, dropping the SED portion in February. The PDS oriented itself as pro-democratic, socialist, and supportive of East German sovereignty. The party chose Modrow as its lead candidate for the 1990 East German general election but was decisively defeated, finishing in third place with 16.4% of votes cast. The PDS was excluded from further political developments due to the aversion of the opposition, now in power, which considered it essentially tied to the Communist regime despite its change of name.

After debuting with a meagre 2.4% nationwide in the 1990 German federal election immediately after reunification, the PDS gained popularity throughout the 1990s as a protest party in the eastern states. In the 1998 German federal election it won 5.1% of votes, enough to win seats outright without relying on direct constituencies as it had in 1994. By the 2000s, it was the second-largest party in every eastern state legislature except Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Despite electoral successes, the PDS faced internal strife due to ideological disputes, a chronic decline in membership, and a near-complete lack of support in the western states, which has been home to 85% of Germany's population. The 1994 German federal election also saw a "red socks" campaign used by the centre-right, including the CDU/CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), to scare off a possible red–red–green coalition (SPD–PDS–Greens). Analysts have stated that such a strategy likely paid off, as it was seen as one of the decisive elements for the narrow victory of Kohl for the CDU/CSU–FDP. The campaign was criticized as an obvious attempt to discredit the whole political left; the PDS reinterpreted it for itself by printing red socks.

PDS–WASG alliance

SPD
Spartacus League
KPD
SED
PDSWASG
Die Linke
BSW
The predecessors of Die Linke, and its split-off Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht.

In January 2005, a group of disaffected Social Democrats and trade unionists founded Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (WASG), a left-wing party opposed to federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Agenda 2010 labour and welfare reforms. The party made a modest showing of 2.2% in the North Rhine-Westphalia state election in May, but failed to win seats. The election saw the incumbent SPD government defeated in a landslide, which was widely interpreted as a sign of the federal SPD's unpopularity. Chancellor Schröder subsequently called an early federal election to be held in September.

WASG continued to gain members, prompting the PDS leadership to propose an alliance between the two parties. With the established eastern base of the PDS and WASG's potential for growth in the west, the parties hoped to enter the Bundestag together. They agreed to form an electoral pact, in which they would not run against one another in direct constituencies and would create joint electoral lists featuring candidates from both parties. They also agreed to unify into a single party in 2007. To symbolise the new relationship, the PDS renamed itself the Left Party.PDS (German: Linkspartei.PDS). The joint list ran under the name The Left.PDS (German: Die Linke.PDS), though in the western states, where the PDS was shunned for its association with the GDR, "PDS" was optional. The alliance's profile was greatly boosted when former federal Minister of Finance Oskar Lafontaine, who had left the SPD after the North Rhine-Westphalia election, joined WASG in June. He was chosen as the party's lead candidate for the federal election and shared the spotlight with Gregor Gysi of the PDS.

Polls early in the summer showed the unified Left list winning as much as 12 percent of the vote, and for a time it seemed possible the party would surge past the Greens and FDP and become the third-largest party in the Bundestag. During the campaign, the party was subject to frequent criticism. At one event, Oskar Lafontaine described Fremdarbeiter ("foreign workers", a term associated with the Nazi regime) as a threat to German labour. He claimed to have misspoken, but in an article published in Die Welt, a group of prominent German writers accused him of deliberately appealing to xenophobic and far-right voters.

In the 2005 federal election, the Left.PDS easily passed the electoral threshold, winning 8.7% of the vote and 53 seats. It became the fourth largest party in the Bundestag. The result of the election was inconclusive; between the SPD, Greens, and Left.PDS, left-wing parties held a majority, but the SPD was unwilling to cooperate with the Left.PDS. The result was a grand coalition of the CDU and SPD.

Party foundation

Negotiations for a formal merger of the PDS and WASG continued through the next year until a final agreement was reached on 27 March 2007. The new party, called The Left (Die Linke), held its founding congress in Berlin on 16 June 2007. Lothar Bisky and Oskar Lafontaine were elected as co-leaders, while Gregor Gysi became leader of the party's Bundestag group.

The unified party quickly became a serious force in western Germany for the first time. It comfortably surpassed the electoral threshold in Bremen in 2007, and throughout 2008 won seats in Lower Saxony, Hesse and Hamburg. The "five-party system" in Germany was now a reality in the west as well as the east.

A string of electoral successes followed during the "super election year" of 2009. The Left achieved 7.5% in the European elections, confirming their enduring nationwide popularity. Six state elections were held throughout the year, and in each of them the party either surged ahead or consolidated earlier gains. They saw an upswing in Thuringia and Hesse and won seats for the first time in Schleswig-Holstein and Saarland. Oskar Lafontaine ran as the party's lead candidate in Saarland, leading the party to a massive success with 21.3% of the vote. In Saxony and Brandenburg, The Left's vote declined slightly, but it remained the second largest party in both states.

2009 federal election

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2009 federal election

The electoral collapse of the Social Democratic Party in the federal election on 27 September 2009 saw The Left's vote surge to 11.9%, increasing its representation in the Bundestag from 54 to 76 seats, just under half as large as the SPD's parliamentary group. It became the second most popular party in the eastern states with 28.5%, while experiencing a breakthrough in the west with 8.3%. It was the most popular party in Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, and won sixteen direct constituencies, the largest tally by a minor party in history. The Left nonetheless remained in opposition.

The Left won seats in the parliament of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, in the May 2010 election. They now held seats in thirteen of Germany's sixteen states, only absent from three states in the traditionally conservative south.

In January 2010, Oskar Lafontaine announced that, due to his ongoing cancer treatment, he would not seek re-election to the party leadership at the upcoming party congress. At the congress in May, Lothar Bisky also chose not to nominate for re-election; Klaus Ernst and Gesine Lötzsch were elected as the party's new leaders.

Just a few weeks later, the SPD and Greens invited the Left to support their candidate for the 2010 presidential election, former Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records Joachim Gauck. They suggested that this was an opportunity for the Left to leave their communist past behind them and show unconditional support for democracy. However, the party refused to support him, highlighting his support of the War in Afghanistan and his attacks on their party. They also rejected the conservative Christian Wulff, favourite of Chancellor Angela Merkel, instead putting forward their own nominee, television journalist Luc Jochimsen. The red-green camp reacted with disappointment. SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel described The Left's position as "bizarre and embarrassing," stating that he was shocked that they would declare Joachim Gauck their enemy due to his investigation of GDR injustice. The SPD and Greens expected the Left to support Gauck in the decisive third round of the election; however, after Jochimsen withdrew, most of the Left's delegates abstained. Wulff was elected by an absolute majority.

The party was isolated ahead of the March 2012 presidential election. The federal CDU/CSU–FDP government invited the SPD and Greens to agree on an all-party consensus candidate; The Left was excluded. Those invited eventually agreed to support Joachim Gauck. The Left again refused to support him. SPD chair Sigmar Gabriel once again criticized the party, claiming they harboured "sympathy for the German Democratic Republic." The Left put forward Beate Klarsfeld, a journalist and outspoken anti-fascist who had investigated numerous Nazi war criminals. She received 10.2% of the delegate votes. Gauck was elected in the first round with 80.4% of votes.

The Left's fortunes began to turn in 2011, and they suffered a string of setbacks and defeats through 2013, particularly in the western states. They failed to win seats in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, and suffered losses in Bremen, Berlin, and Saarland. Crucially, the party lost its seats in the Landtags of Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.

On 11 April 2012, Gesine Lötzsch resigned as party co-leader, citing medical conditions her husband was suffering. Klaus Ernst subsequently announced he would not seek re-election as leader at the party congress in June. Katja Kipping, who had served as deputy leader since 2007, was elected as co-leader with 67.1% of votes. Bernd Riexinger was elected as the other co-leader with 53.5% of votes, winning a narrow contest against Dietmar Bartsch.

2013 federal election

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2013 federal election

In the 2013 federal election, The Left received 8.6% of the national vote and won 64 seats, a decline from 2009. However, due to the collapse of the FDP, they moved into third place. After the formation of a second grand coalition between the CDU and SPD, The Left became the leading party of the opposition.

The party narrowly retained its seats in the Hessian state election held on the same day as the federal election. The Left suffered a major loss in Brandenburg in 2014, losing a third of its voteshare and falling to third place. Nonetheless, it continued as a junior partner under the SPD.

The 2014 Thuringian state election was the party's biggest success to date, achieving not only its best state election result (28.2%) but also forming the first coalition with one of its own members at the head. The party was able to negotiate a red-red-green coalition with the SPD and Greens, and Bodo Ramelow was elected Minister-President by the Landtag of Thuringia, becoming the first member of the party to serve as head of government of any German state.

The Left achieved modest gains in the city-states of Hamburg and Bremen in 2015. They suffered a loss in Saxony-Anhalt reminiscent of that in Brandenburg 18 months earlier, falling to third place and losing a third of their voteshare. In September, the Left joined government in Berlin after the 2016 state election as the second-largest member of a coalition with the SPD and Greens.

2017 federal election

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2017 federal election

In the 2017 federal election, The Left fell to fifth place due to the re-entry of the FDP in fourth place and the ascension of AfD to third place. The party suffered substantial losses in its traditional eastern heartland, but made a net gain nationally thanks to an improvement in the western states, rising to 9.2% of votes (up 0.6 points).

Throughout 2017, they failed to make a comeback to the Landtags of Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony, despite making gains in all three states. The party's slow decline in Saarland continued, winning 12.8% in March. In 2018, they defended their seats in Hesse. Kipping and Riexinger were re-elected for a third time at the party congress in 2018, winning 64.5% and 73.8% respectively.

The Left had mixed results in 2019. In the European election, they declined to 5.5%, the worst result in a national election since the party's formation. In the Bremen state election held on the same day, the party made small gains, and joined a western state government for the first time in a coalition under the SPD and Greens. The Left suffered major losses in the Brandenburg and Saxony state elections held on 1 September, losing almost half its voteshare in each, and left the Brandenburg government, in which they had participated since 2009.

In the 2019 Thuringian state election, Ramelow led the party to its best ever result, winning 31.0% and becoming the largest party in a state legislature for the first time, though his red-red-green government lost its majority. In February 2020, the FDP's Thomas Kemmerich was elected Minister-President with the support of AfD and the CDU, but immediately resigned due to widespread outrage. After a protracted government crisis, Ramelow was re-elected for a second term to lead a minority government.

In August 2020, Kipping and Riexinger announced they would step down as co-chairs in accordance with party regulations stating that no position should be held by the same person for more than eight years. A party congress was scheduled on 30 October to 1 November 2020, but was cancelled on 27 October due to the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany; the party instead held a fully digital congress on 26–27 February 2021. Hessian parliamentary leader Janine Wissler and Thuringia branch leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow were elected co-chairs on 27 February, winning 84% and 71% of votes cast, respectively.

2021 federal election

During the 2021 German federal election, The Left was eager to become a partner in a coalition government with the SPD and Greens. As the CDU/CSU collapsed in the polls and the SPD surged, the last month of the campaign saw the conservative government engage in a Red Scare campaign against The Left and the prospect of a red–red–green coalition, utilising red-baiting and fearmongering about extremism; the party had elected a new moderate leadership and put forward an observably more moderate programme than previous elections. A capital flight to Switzerland ensued due to fear of increased taxes for the wealthy through higher inheritance tax and a wealth tax.

The Left won 4.9% of votes and 39 seats in the 26 September federal election, its worst showing since its official formation in 2007, narrowly failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold. The party was nonetheless entitled to full proportional representation as it won three direct constituencies; two in Berlin and one in Leipzig. This meant a net loss of 4.3 percentage points of vote share and 30 seats overall. Notably, Vice President of the Bundestag Petra Pau was defeated in her direct constituency of Berlin-Marzahn-Hellersdorf. Due to The Left's poor performance, a left-wing coalition fell a few seats short of a majority in the Bundestag.

State elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were held on the same day. The Left suffered minor losses in both, but nonetheless joined coalition governments in each state. In Berlin, they joined a renewed coalition with the SPD and Greens. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, they replaced the CDU as junior partner to the SPD.

After the federal election, The Left suffered internal strife and its fortunes continued to decline. A major blow came in the March 2022 Saarland state election, with the party losing all their seats amid conflict between the state leadership and Oskar Lafontaine, who declined to run again and quit the party shortly before the election. Further, reports of sexism and abuse arose within the Hesse branch, including claims that implicated Janine Wissler. In April, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow resigned as co-leader, citing the party's recent troubles and desire to spend more time with family. Further losses came in the Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia state elections in May.

2022–present: infighting and party split

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine highlighted fault lines within the party. The leadership and majority took a strongly pro-Ukrainian stance, while the faction around Sahra Wagenknecht opposed sanctions against Russia. At the party congress in June, incumbent Janine Wissler was re-elected as leader, while co-chair of The Left in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL) group Martin Schirdewan was elected as Hennig-Wellsow's successor. They both faced challenges from candidates aligned with Wagenknecht's faction, winning majorities of 57% and 61% of votes respectively.

During a Bundestag speech in September, Wagenknecht attacked the federal government for launching what she called "an unprecedented economic war against our most important energy supplier," and called for the end of sanctions against Russia. The speech was boycotted by half The Left's deputies, and prompted numerous calls for her resignation by colleagues. Hundreds of members were reported to have left the party over the dispute, including prominent former MdB Fabio De Masi. Die Tageszeitung reported that Wagenknecht's supporters had begun planning a breakaway party to compete in the 2024 European elections.

In the 2023 Berlin state election, The Left lost two seats in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin; further, in the 2023 Bremen state election, they retained their 10 seats in the Bürgerschaft of Bremen. In the 2023 Hessian state election, The Left were wiped out after achieving 3.1% of the vote, thus losing their 9 seats due to falling short of the 5% threshold needed for representation.

In October 2023, Wagenknecht and nine other Bundestag members, including faction co-leader Amira Mohamed Ali, announced their intention to leave The Left and launch the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. This pushed The Left below the minimum number of members required to sustain an official faction in the Bundestag, and it was preemptively dissolved on 6 December. In February it was reorganised as a group with reduced status. Former faction leader Dietmar Bartsch declined to run again. Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann, who previously ran against Wissler and Schirdewan for the federal leadership, announced their intention to contest against the pro-leadership duo of Clara Bünger and Ates Gürpinar. On the first ballot, Reichinnek defeated Bünger 14 votes to 13; Gürpinar withdrew in favour of Bünger in the second ballot, but she was defeated again by Pellmann, again 14 to 13.

Wissler and Schirdewan announced in August 2024 that they would not seek re-election at the upcoming party congress. In September, the party suffered major defeats in state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. They were reduced to fourth place in Thuringia with 13%, while in Brandenburg and Saxony they fell below 5%, only narrowly retaining their seats in the latter state. BSW, conversely, performed strongly and placed third in each state. In October, the party congress elected Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken as the new co-leaders with only marginal opposition.

Ideology and platform

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The Left advocates for democratic socialism as an alternative to capitalism. The Left is vocally anti-fascist and anti-militarist. As a platform for left-wing politics in the wake of globalization, the Left includes many different factions, ranging from communists to social democrats. During the joint party convention with the Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative in March 2007, a document outlining political principles was agreed on. The official program of the party was decided upon by an overwhelming majority at the party conference in October 2011 in Erfurt.

The Left is generally considered a left-wing, big tent party. This party is sometimes considered part of the German "centre-left" camp. It has been described as "far-left" by journalists in some news outlets including the BBC, Euronews, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel, and is considered to be left-wing populist by some researchers.

Economic policy

The Left aims at increasing government spending in the areas of public investments, education, research and development, culture, and infrastructure, as well as increasing taxes for large corporations. It calls for increases in inheritance tax rates and the reinstatement of the individual net worth tax. The party aims at a linear income tax progression, which would reduce the tax burden for lower incomes, while raising the middle- and top-income tax rates. The combating of tax loopholes is a perennial issue, as The Left believes that they primarily benefit people with high incomes. The party aims for the financial markets to be subject to heavier government regulation, with the goal, among others, to reduce the speculation of bonds and derivatives. The party wants to strengthen anti-trust laws and empower cooperatives to decentralise the economy. Further economic reforms supported by the party include solidarity and more self-determination for workers, a ban on hydraulic fracturing, the rejection of privatization, and the introduction of a federal minimum wage, and more generally the overthrow of property and power structures in which, citing Karl Marx's aphorism, "man is a debased, enslaved, abandoned, despicable essence."

Foreign policy

Concerning foreign policy, The Left calls for international disarmament, while ruling out any form of involvement of the Bundeswehr outside of Germany. The party calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany, as well as the replacement of NATO with a collective security system including Russia as a member country. They believe that German foreign policy should be strictly confined to the goals of civil diplomacy and cooperation, instead of confrontation, though they also believe that such demands are more of a vision, are not to be implemented as soon as possible, and should not be seen as inflexible preconditions for a federal, left-wing red–red–green coalition.

In their manifesto, the party says: "All support for NATO states which, like Erdoğan's Turkey, disregard international law, must be stopped immediately." The Left criticised Germany's defense plan with Saudi Arabia, which has been waging war in Yemen and has been accused of massive human rights violations. The Left supports further debt cancellations for developing countries and increases in development aid, in collaboration with the United Nations, World Trade Organization, World Bank, and diverse bilateral treaties among countries. The party supports reform of the United Nations as long as it is aimed at a fair balance between developed and developing countries. The Left would have all American military bases within Germany, and if possible in the European Union, enacted within a binding treaty, dissolved. The Left welcomes European integration, while opposing what it believes to be neoliberal policies in the European Union. The party strives for the democratisation of the EU institutions and a stronger role of the United Nations in international politics. The Left opposed both the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, as well as the Lisbon Treaty.

The party has a mixed stance towards the Russo-Ukrainian War. Gregor Gysi has described Russia as state capitalist, and the party has called the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the Russian military intervention in Ukraine to be illegal; however, Gysi commented that older elements of the party have a strong penchant for Russia and the Soviet Union. The party declared in May 2014 that Ukraine should not receive any kind of support from Germany as long as there are fascists inside its government. Some members of the party (like MP Andrej Hunko) are strong supporters of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. The party also takes a friendly stance towards China; Sevim Dağdelen, deputy leader of The Left in the Bundestag, criticized EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen's speech calling for a new EU policy towards China, saying that "he EU and its member states want to challenge the emerging power China, including through military means."

Organisation

Ines Schwerdtner (left) and Jan van Aken at the 2024 federal party conference

The Left is organised into branches in each of the 16 states. The party has smaller branches on a local level, for which the corresponding state branches are responsible. These branches usually organise across a district, city, or (in Berlin), borough. The lowest unit of the party is the grassroots organization, which, depending on the density of membership, can include a residential area, a city or an entire district. The party has a youth wing, Left Youth Solid, and a student wing known as The Left.SDS. The party is also affiliated with a number of left-wing think tanks, education, and policy groups, most prominently the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

The party is formally led by a 26-member Party Executive Committee (PEC), of which seven are members of the party's leadership, the executive board. This includes two federal co-chairpersons, of which at least one is required by statute to be female. Convention also dictates that one leader should come from the Eastern states and one from the west, though this is not an official rule. The PEC is elected by a regular party congress, which also discusses and determines the party platform and rules on basic political and organisational matters. The leadership group of the party's Bundestag faction is considered a second centre of power within the party, and conflicts sometimes arise between the federal leadership and parliamentary group. This most prominently happened in 2015, which resulted in Bundestag co-leaders Sahra Wagenknecht and Dietmar Bartsch being elected as lead candidates for the 2017 federal election, defeating federal co-chairs Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger.

The Left's internal structure underwent a transitional phase after its formation in 2007 in order to integrate the different groups. Western party organisations were initially strongly favoured in party congresses, which strengthened the "fundamental opposition" faction of Oskar Lafontaine. These provisions expired at the 2014 party congress. The dual leadership, initially a temporary measure, was adopted permanently in 2010. This was not initially the case for the parliamentary group leadership, which was co-chaired by both Gregor Gysi and Lafontaine between 2005 and 2009, and solely by Gysi thereafter. After his retirement in 2015, however, the dual chairmanship was reintroduced. The executive committee originally comprised 44 members, but was reduced to 26 at the 2022 party congress.

The Left is noted for having an unusually strong and formalised system of internal factions, which are outlined in the party statutes. Factions with sufficiently large membership are entitled to send delegates to party congresses. In addition, there are around 40 working groups within the party.

Since October 2024, the composition of the Party Executive Committee has been as follows:

Position Member(s)
Party Chair
Deputy Party Chair
  • Ates Gürpinar
  • Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg
  • Sabine Ritter
  • Maximilian Schirmer
Federal Manager Officer
  • Janis Ehling
Federal Treasurer
  • Sebastian Koch
Youth Speaker
  • Lisa Pfitzmann
Student Speaker
  • Margarita Kavali
Member of the Party Executive Committee
  • Sabine Berninger
  • Candy Boldt-Händel
  • Lorenz Güsta Beutin
  • Katharina Dahme
  • Ulrike Eifler
  • Nina Eumann
  • Olga Fritzsche
  • Wulf Gallert
  • Kathrin Gebel
  • Margit Glasow
  • Thies Gleiss
  • Theo Glauch
  • Hennis Herbst
  • Alexander Kauz
  • Markus Pohle
  • Naisan Raji

The Council of Elders (Ältestenrat) is an advisory body formed in December 2007. Lothar Bisky stated the council would "focus on the development of the party, allied and international issues, the history of the left and possible consequences for the socialist program." Its current composition is as follows:

Position Member(s)
Speakers
  • Bernhard Strasdeit
  • Luc Jochimsen
Member of the
Council of Elders
  • Klaus Bartl
  • Safter Çinar
  • Minka Dott
  • Rosi Grewenig
  • Rosi Hein
  • Luc Jochimsen
  • Walter Kappmeier
  • Artur Pech
  • Heidi Scharf
  • Bärbel Schindler-Saefkow
  • Alexander Schmejkal
  • Renate Schmidt
  • Christiane Schneider
  • Volker Steinke
  • Peter Vetter
  • Ursula Weisser-Roelle
  • Thomas Händel

Leadership history

Federal chairpersons Term start Term end

Lothar Bisky
Oskar Lafontaine 		16 June 2007 (2007-06-16) 15 May 2010 (2010-05-15)

Gesine Lötzsch
Klaus Ernst 		15 May 2010 (2010-05-15) 2 June 2012 (2012-06-02)

Katja Kipping
Bernd Riexinger 		2 June 2012 (2012-06-02) 27 February 2021 (2021-02-27)

Susanne Hennig-Wellsow
Janine Wissler 		27 February 2021 (2021-02-27) 20 April 2022 (2022-04-20)
Vacant 20 April 2022 (2022-04-20) 25 June 2022 (2022-06-25)
Martin Schirdewan (2019)
Martin Schirdewan 		25 June 2022 (2022-06-25) 19 October 2024 (2024-10-19)

Ines Schwerdtner
Jan van Aken 		19 October 2024 (2024-10-19) Incumbent
Bundestag chairpersons Term start Term end

Gregor Gysi
Oskar Lafontaine 		18 October 2005 (2005-10-18) 27 October 2009 (2009-10-27)

Gregor Gysi 		27 October 2009 (2009-10-27) 13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)

Dietmar Bartsch
Sahra Wagenknecht 		13 October 2015 (2015-10-13) 12 November 2019 (2019-11-12)

Amira Mohamed Ali 		12 November 2019 (2019-11-12) 6 December 2023 (2023-12-06)
Faction dissolved – reduced to group status

Heidi Reichinnek
Sören Pellmann 		19 February 2024 (2024-02-19) Incumbent

State branches

The party has branches in all 16 states. As of 31 December 2023, the membership of the branches is as follows.

State Branch Leader(s) Members
 Baden-Württemberg Sahra Mirow [de]
Elwis Capece 		Decrease 3,500
 Bavaria Kathrin Flach-Gomez
Adelheid Rupp [de] 		Decrease 2,625
 Berlin Franziska Brychcy [de]
Maximilian Schirmer [de] 		Increase 7,178
 Brandenburg The Left Brandenburg Katharina Slanina
Sebastian Walter 		Decrease 4,146
 Bremen Anna Fischer
Christoph Spehr [de] 		Decrease 705
 Hamburg Sabine Ritter [de]
Thomas Iwan [de] 		Decrease 1,671
 Hesse Christiane Böhm [de]
Jakob Migenda 		Increase 3,080
 Lower Saxony Franziska Junker
Thorben Peters 		Decrease 2,660
 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hennis Herbst Decrease 2,484
 North Rhine-Westphalia The Left North Rhine-Westphalia Kathrin Vogler
Sascha H. Wagner 		Decrease 6,937
 Rhineland-Palatinate Stefan Glander
Natalie Brosch 		Decrease 1,313
 Saarland Barbara Spaniol Decrease 1,154
 Saxony Susanne Schaper
Stefan Hartmann 		Decrease 6,098
 Saxony-Anhalt Janina Böttger
Hendrik Lange [de] 		Decrease 2,511
 Schleswig-Holstein Susanne Spethmann
Luca Grimminger 		Decrease 1,005
 Thuringia Ulrike Grosse-Röthig [de]
Christian Schaft [de] 		Decrease 3,184
Total Decrease 50,251

Internal factions

The Left is noted for having an unusually strong and formalised system of internal factions, which are outlined in the party statutes. Factions with sufficiently large membership are entitled to send delegates to party congresses. The party is traditionally split between reformist factions, such as the Reform Left Network and Forum for Democratic Socialism, and orthodox factions such as the Communist Platform, Anti-Capitalist Left, and Socialist Left. The Emancipatory Left occupies a middle position.

However, starting from 2015, the party underwent an internal realignment due to the preeminence of Sahra Wagenknecht, who advocated a return to a fundamentally working-class focus and populist positions in the wake of the European refugee crisis and rise of the Alternative for Germany. In response, many eastern reformers and members of radical left factions allied in the broad "Movement Left" (Bewegungslinke), committed to social movements, environmentalism, and intersectional progressivism. The Movement Left broadly dominates the party, with no members of the Wagenknecht faction elected to the executive at the 2022 congress.

Faction Description
Anti-Capitalist Left
Antikapitalische Linke (AKL) 		A current founded in 2006 which seeks to strengthen the party's anti-capitalist profile. The AKL describe themselves as "movement-oriented" and seek cooperation with extra-parliamentary parties and left-wing movements. They are aligned with the orthodox left-wing of The Left, and believe that the party should only participate in coalition governments if a set of minimum criteria are met, including no privatization, no military operations, and no cuts to social welfare or the public service. The BfV classifies the AKL as an extremist association. In 2020, the AKL had 1,060 members. Prominent members include Tobias Pflüger, Cornelia Hirsch, Ulla Jelpke, Lucy Redler, and Niema Movassat.
Communist Platform
Kommunistische Plattform (KPF) 		Originally formed as a tendency of the PDS. It is less critical of German Democratic Republic than other currents and upholds orthodox Marxist positions. A "strategic goal" of the KPF is "building a new socialist society, using the positive experiences of real socialism and to learn from mistakes". Its primary leader was Sahra Wagenknecht, former co-leader of the party's Bundestag faction. The BfV classifies the KPF as an extremist association. In 2020, the group had 1,122 members.
Democratic Socialist Forum
Forum demokratischer Sozialismus (fds) 		A democratic socialist group considered part of the reformist wing of the party. Originally founded in 2002 as the Forum Second Renewal, it was reformed in 2007 to promote the positions of the PDS within the new Left party. It places emphasis on civil rights and social progressivism, and supports cooperation with the SPD and Greens. Prominent members include Dietmar Bartsch and Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg.
Ecological Platform
Ökologische Plattform (ÖPF) 		A current which promotes green politics and eco-socialism. Founded in 1994 within the PDS, it is critical of capitalism and supports degrowth. The group describes itself as "a forum for all left-wing ecologists", and is expressly open to non-Left party members.
Emancipatory Left
Emanzipatorische Linke (Ema.Li) 		A libertarian socialist current co-founded in May 2009 by Katja Kipping, Caren Lay, and Julia Bonk. They advocate radical democracy, a decentralized society, and are supportive of social movements. Ema.Li is described as holding a "middle position" between the reformist and orthodox wings of the party. The group accepts members of other factions as well as non-party members. Besides its co-founders, prominent members include Christoph Spehr and Anne Helm.
Gera Dialogue/Socialist Dialogue
Geraer Dialog/Sozialistischer Dialog (GD/SD) 		Formed in February 2003 as a reaction to the increasing influence of reform-oriented groups such as the Reform Left Network. They opposed a shift away from Marxism and what they feared as a move toward a social market economy model. As of 2021, the faction is only partly recognised within the party. The BfV classified GD/SD as an extremist organisation in 2018, but did not include the group in its 2020 report.
Marxist Forum
Marxistisches Forum (MF) 		Founded in 1995 within the PDS to promote classical Marxism. It is critical of the reform-oriented wings and positions of the party and is often sympathetic to the GDR. As of 2021, the faction is only partly recognised within the party. The BfV classified the group as "orthodox communist" and extremist in its 2018 report, and reported that it had 400 members. The Marxist Forum did not appear in the BfV's 2020 report.
Reform Left Network
Netzwerk Reformlinke 		Originally formed in 2003 as a tendency within PDS promoting social democracy. It is closely associated with the Democratic Socialist Forum, which was formed around the same time. The Reform Left Network strongly supports involvement in coalition governments with the SPD and Greens. It includes a number of prominent Left politicians, including Bundestag Vice-President Petra Pau, and Saxony-Anhalt branch leader Wulf Gallert, as well as Jan Korte, Stefan Liebich, and Halina Wawzyniak. As of 2021, the faction is no longer recognised within the party.
Socialist Left
Sozialistische Linke (SL) 		Includes Keynesian leftists and reform communists, and seeks to orient the party toward the labour movement. It is considered part of the left wing of the party. Many leaders of the Socialist Left were formerly members of WASG, and the group models itself on the Dutch Socialist Party and the Italian Communist Refoundation Party. The revolutionary socialist current Marx21 organises within SL, as it does not meet the requirements to become its own caucus. The BfV classifies the current as an extremist association. In 2020, the group had 1,000 members. Leading members include Janine Wissler, Thomas Händel, Jürgen Klute, and Christine Buchholz.

In addition to the recognised platforms, a number of smaller groups have aligned with The Left and its predecessors, such as the Trotskyist Socialist Alternative (SAV), though the membership applications of some of its leaders, including Lucy Redler, were initially rejected. Der Funke, supporters of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) in Germany, pursue entryist strategies in the party, while the Fourth International-affiliated International Socialist Organisation (ISO) also works inside The Left. Other left-wing groups, such as the German Communist Party (DKP), have formed local alliances with the party, but have not joined. The Association for Solidarity Perspectives (VsP) also supports the party.

Membership and electorate

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Membership of The Left over time

According to regular studies by the Free University of Berlin, in 2021 The Left's membership comprised 17% blue-collar workers and 32% white-collar workers, similar to the SPD, while 35% were civil servants and 10% self-employed. 51% of party members held an academic degree, and 33% were organized in trade unions. Prior to the merger with WASG, the voting base of PDS was an approximate cross-section of the population, favoured somewhat by more educated voters. Since the merger, The Left has become more favoured among working-class and poorer voters, which made up the core of WASG's support.

Since the mid-2010s, the party has gained significant popularity among youth. Prior to the merger, PDS had by far the highest proportion of members over 60 years of any party, at 68%, and the lowest proportion of members under 30, at just 4%. By 2021, these numbers had fallen and risen, respectively, to 40% and 23%. The Left now is tied with the FDP in proportion of members under 30. Two-thirds of members who joined the party between 2016 and 2018 were under 35 years of age. In the 2021 federal election, The Left was twice as popular among voters under 25 than among voters over 70.

The PDS inherited 170,000 members from the SED in 1990, but suffered constant decline from that point until the merger with WASG. Upon its formation, The Left had 71,000 members, of which 11,500 had been WASG members. Over the next two years the party grew, reaching a peak of 78,000 in 2009, after which point numbers began to decline. In 2016, the party had 59,000 members. This trend temporarily reversed following the 2017 federal election, and the party gained several thousand new members for a total of 62,300 in 2019; however, membership shrank again to 60,350 in December 2020.

By the end of 2023, membership had fallen to 50,000. The secession of the Wagenknecht wing led to further losses. However, it also triggered an influx of new members: Tagesschau reported in July 2024 that 7,500 new entries had outweighed the losses and brought the total to 52,000. They also noted a generational turnover in the composition of the party: a quarter of its membership had joined in the previous two years, and this cohort disproportioantely comprised young people, students, and those in large cities.

Geography

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2017 federal election

A large part of The Left's base and membership reside in the new states (the former GDR). The voting base of the PDS was limited almost entirely to the east; upon its formation, the vast majority of The Left's western membership came from WASG. However, the party has grown in the west in the years since: while in 2005, the Left.PDS list won just 45.5% of its votes in the western states, this grew to 57.7% in 2009, and 65.4% in 2017. Between 2016 and 2018, 72% of new party members were from the western states, 15% from the east, and 13% from Berlin. During this period, the party's membership total in the west exceeded that of the east for the first time. As of 2021, 50% of The Left's members are from the west, 37% from the east, and 13% from Berlin.

Despite this, on the state level, the party has been marginalised in the west since making several breakthroughs in 2007–2010. Since 2010, it has lost representation in the Landtags of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein. Generally growing popularity in the west has also been offset by major losses in most of its eastern heartland since 2014.

The Left's voter demographics are skewed strongly by region. In the east, Left voters and members trend much older: in 2018, 44% of the party's members in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were 76 years or older. Meanwhile, in the west, the party membership is male-dominated, with two-thirds of western members being men.

Women

Women have been well-represented amongst elected representatives from The Left. The party's gender quota requires that at least half of the party's ruling bodies and representatives should be female. In 2021, the party elected two women, Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, as federal co-chairs for the first time. Female membership in the PDS was stable at around 45% during the 1990s and 2000s, far higher than any other party, but fell to 39% post-merger in 2007 since the large majority of WASG members were male. Nonetheless, the party had the highest representation of women in its membership until it was overtaken by the Greens in 2012. In 2021, 37% of Left members were female, compared to 42% for the Greens and 33% for the SPD. After the 2009 election, the party's Bundestag group was 52.6% female, second only to the Greens (57.4%). In 2013, this increased slightly to 54.7%, which was the highest of any group. After both the 2017 and 2021 federal elections, The Left's group was 54% female, second to the Greens (58%).

Controversies

Observation by Constitutional Protection

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, abbreviated as BfV or Verfassungsschutz) is the German federal domestic security agency, tasked with intelligence-gathering on threats concerning the democratic order, the existence and security of the federation or one of its states. This includes monitoring and reporting on suspected extremist groups and political parties. The Verfassungsschutz does not regard the party as extremist or a threat to democracy, but party members and groups within the party have been periodically monitored, sometimes leading to controversy. According to the 2018 report, radical factions are the Communist Platform, Socialist Left, working group AG Cuba Sí, the Anti-capitalist Left, Marxist Forum, and Gera Dialogue/Socialist Dialogue. The Verfassungsschutz also monitors Socialist Alternative and Marx21, which have links with the Anti-Capitalist Left and the Socialist Left, respectively.

The 2007 Verfassungsschutz report commented that in practice the parliamentary party appears as to act as a "reform-oriented" left force. In the past, The Left was under observation by all western German states. In January 2008, Saarland became the first to cease observation. As of 2008, the authorities of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, and Lower Saxony considered The Left in its entirety to be extremist. In the five eastern states, The Left is not under surveillance, as state constitutional authorities see no indication of anti-constitutional tendencies in the bulk of the party; however, the Communist Platform is under observation in three eastern states.

Surveillance of party members has been a point of controversy. Bodo Ramelow, a prominent Left politician in Thuringia, was under surveillance until a court ruling in January 2008 that this was illegal. In January 2012, Der Spiegel reported that 27 of the party's 76 Bundestag members were under surveillance, as well as 11 of the party's members of various state parliaments. This included nearly the entirety of the party's Bundestag leadership, federal co-leader Gesine Lötzsch, deputy leader Halina Wawzyniak, and Vice President of the Bundestag Petra Pau. Many of those under surveillance were not associated with acknowledged extremist factions of the party. This surveillance was criticised by the SPD, Greens, and FDP; federal Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger described it as "intolerable". In October 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court deemed the surveillance of Bundestag members unconstitutional except in extraordinary circumstances, such as if the member was abusing their office to undermine the constitutional order, or otherwise actively fighting against it. Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière subsequently announced that none of The Left's Bundestag members would be surveilled, even those affiliated with the factions considered extremist by the Verfassungsschutz.

Extremism and populism

Both media and political scientists have discussed whether The Left should be considered extremist in nature. Journalists from outlets including the BBC, The Guardian, Euronews, and Der Spiegel have described the party as far-left, while other journalists writing for the same publications (minus Der Spiegel) have referred to the party as left-wing. Among academics, there is a general consensus that at least some sections of the party are extremist; however, political scientist Richard Stöss states that they make up less than ten percent of the party membership – 5,000 of 62,000 members according to the BfV – and compete for resources among themselves, and there is little risk of these groups becoming dominant and exerting major influence over the party's leadership and platform. Eckhard Jesse states that, while The Left is far more accepting of the Basic Law than parties like the National Democratic Party of Germany, the presence of its extremist factions means the party overall represents a "soft left-wing extremism". Political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte states that the party is well-integrated within the constitutional order, and "has actually rendered considerable services to German democracy" through the integration of East German protest movement into the parliamentary system. Nonetheless, he criticises the party's continued association with extremist groups.

The Left has also been characterised as left-wing populist by researchers such as Cas Mudde and Tilman Mayer. Florian Hartleb states that the party is "social-populist". According to Frank Decker, the party during the leadership of Oskar Lafontaine could be described as left-wing populist. In 2011, Bundestag deputy and later party co-leader Katja Kipping stated that she believed The Left needed "a double strategy social-ecological restructuring plus left-wing populism" to become attractive to voters. She elaborated: "Left-wing populism means targeting those who are marginalized in our society in a targeted and pointed manner."

Association with the SED

The Left's position as the successor of the PDS and SED has made it subject to significant controversy and criticism, as well as claims that the party is sympathetic to the former GDR. Former member Sahra Wagenknecht, who served as co-leader of the party's Bundestag group from 2015 to 2019, is well known for her controversial statements on this issue. In a 2009 interview, she rejected the characterisation of East Germany as a dictatorship or unconstitutional state (German: Unrechtsstaat).

Other incidents include a walkout conducted in 2007 by the Left's delegation in the Landtag of Saxony during a German Unity Day ceremony in protest of the presence of Joachim Gauck, former East German pro-democracy campaigner and later Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records, who was the keynote speaker at the event. The Left's state leader André Hahn claimed that Gauck did not deliver an "appropriate or balanced speech", arguing he had "an absolutely one-sided view of the GDR."

Election results

Federal Parliament (Bundestag)

Election Constituency Party list Seats +/– Status
Votes % Votes %
2009 4,791,124 11.1 (#3) 5,155,933 11.9 (#4) 76 / 622 Increase 22 Opposition
2013 3,585,178 8.2 (#3) 3,755,699 8.6 (#3) 64 / 631 Decrease 12 Opposition
2017 3,966,035 8.6 (#4) 4,296,762 9.2 (#5) 69 / 709 Increase 5 Opposition
2021 2,306,755 5.0 (#7) 2,269,993 4.9 (#7) 39 / 735 Decrease 30 Opposition

European Parliament

Election List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
2009 Lothar Bisky 1,968,325 7.48 (#5) 8 / 99 New The Left - GUE/NGL
2014 Gabi Zimmer 2,167,641 7.39 (#4) 7 / 96 Decrease 1
2019 Martin Schirdewan 2,056,010 5.50 (#5) 5 / 96 Decrease 2
2024 1,091,268 2.74 (#8) 3 / 96 Decrease 2

State Parliaments (Länder)

State parliament Election Votes % Seats +/– Status
Baden-Württemberg 2021 173,295 3.6 (#6) 0 / 154 Steady 0 No seats
Bavaria 2023 200,795 1.5 (#7) 0 / 203 Steady 0 No seats
Berlin 2023 184,954 12.2 (#4) 22 / 147 Decrease 2 Opposition
Brandenburg 2024 44,692 3.0 (#6) 0 / 88 Decrease 10 No seats
Bremen 2023 137,676 10.9 (#4) 10 / 87 Steady 0 SPD–Greens–Left
Hamburg 2020 364,102 9.1 (#4) 13 / 123 Increase 2 Opposition
Hesse 2023 86,821 3.1 (#7) 0 / 133 Decrease 9 No seats
Lower Saxony 2022 98,585 2.7 (#6) 0 / 146 Steady 0 No seats
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2021 90,865 9.9 (#4) 9 / 79 Decrease 2 SPD–Left
North Rhine-Westphalia 2022 146,634 2.1 (#6) 0 / 195 Steady 0 No seats
Rhineland-Palatinate 2021 48,210 2.5 (#7) 0 / 101 Steady 0 No seats
Saarland 2022 11,689 2.6 (#6) 0 / 51 Decrease 7 No seats
Saxony 2024 104,888 4.5 (#6) 5 / 119 Decrease 9 Opposition
Saxony-Anhalt 2021 116,927 11.0 (#3) 12 / 97 Decrease 4 Opposition
Schleswig-Holstein 2022 23,035 1.7 (#7) 0 / 69 Steady 0 No seats
Thuringia 2024 157,641 13.1 (#4) 12 / 90 Decrease 17 Opposition
Best historic results for state parties
State Seats / Total % Position/Gov. Year Lead Candidate
Baden-Württemberg 0 / 154 3.6 (#6) No seats 2021 Sahra Mirow
Bavaria 0 / 187 4.4 (#6) No seats 2008 Fritz Schmalzbauer
Berlin 33 / 141 22.6 (#3) SPD–PDS 2001
(as PDS) 		Gregor Gysi (Deputy Governing Mayor 2002)
Brandenburg 26 / 88 27.2 (#2) SPD–The Left 2009 Kerstin Kaiser
Bremen 10 / 84 11.3 (#4) SPD–Greens–Left 2019 Kristina Vogt
Hamburg 13 / 123 9.1 (#4) Opposition 2020 Cansu Özdemir
Hesse 9 / 137 6.3 (#6) Opposition 2018 Janine Wissler
Jan Schalauske
Lower Saxony 11 / 152 7.1 (#5) Opposition 2008 Kreszentia Flauger
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 20 / 71 24.4 (#3) SPD–PDS 1998
(as PDS) 		Helmut Holter (Deputy Minister-President 1998–2002)
North Rhine-Westphalia 11 / 181 5.6 (#5) Opposition 2010 Bärbel Beuermann
Rhineland-Palatinate 0 / 101 3,0 (#5) No seats 2011 Robert Drumm
Tanja Krauth
Saarland 11 / 51 21.3 (#3) Opposition Leader 2009 Oskar Lafontaine
Saxony 31 / 124 23.6 (#2) Opposition Leader 2004
(as PDS) 		Peter Porsch
Saxony-Anhalt 25 / 116 19.6 (#3) SPD minority
with PDS confidence and supply 		1998
(as PDS) 		Petra Sitte
Schleswig-Holstein 6 / 95 6.0 (#5) Opposition 2009 Antje Jansen
Thuringia 29 / 90 31.0 (#1) Left–SPD–Greens minority 2019 Bodo Ramelow (Minister-President 2014–2020, 2020–2024)

State results timeline

State parliaments

Baden-Württemberg

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2011 139,700 2.8 0 / 138 Steady 0
2016 156,211 2.9 0 / 138 Steady 0
2021 173,317 3.6 0 / 138 Steady 0

Bavaria

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2008 461,755 4.4 0 / 187 Steady 0
2013 251,097 2.1 0 / 180 Steady 0
2018 435,949 3.2 0 / 205 Steady 0
2023 200,878 1.5 0 / 203 Steady 0

Berlin

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2006 225,689 16.3 23 / 141 Decrease 10
2011 170,829 11.6 20 / 152 Decrease 3
2016 255,740 15.6 27 / 160 Increase 7
2021 255,231 14.0 26 / 160 Decrease 1

Brandenburg

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2009 377,084 27.2 26 / 88 Decrease 3
2014 183,172 18.6 17 / 88 Decrease 9
2019 135,572 10.7 10 / 88 Decrease 7
2024 44,692 3.0 0 / 88 Decrease 10

Bremen

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2007 23,282 8.4 7 / 83 Increase 7
2011 73,769 5.6 5 / 83 Decrease 2
2015 115,385 9.5 8 / 83 Increase 3
2019 166,378 11.3 10 / 84 Increase 2
2023 137,676 10.9 10 / 84 Steady 0

Hamburg

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2008 50,173 6.4 8 / 121 Increase 8
2011 220,428* 6.4 8 / 121 Steady 0
2015 300,567* 8.5 11 / 121 Increase 3
2020 364,102* 9.1 12 / 121 Increase 1
*) five votes per voter

Hesse

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2008 140,769 5.1 6 / 110 Increase 6
2009 139,074 5.4 6 / 118 Steady 0
2013 161,488 5.2 6 / 110 Steady 0
2018 181,263 6.3 9 / 137 Increase 3
2023 86,842 3.1 0 / 133 Decrease 9

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2006 141,534 17.3 13 / 71 Steady 0
2011 125,528 18.4 14 / 71 Increase 1
2016 106,259 13.2 11 / 71 Decrease 3
2021 90,865 9.9 9 / 79 Decrease 2

Lower Saxony

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2008 243,361 7.1 11 / 152 Increase 11
2013 110,525 3.1 0 / 137 Decrease 11
2017 177,118 4.6 0 / 137 Steady 0
2022 98,585 2.7 0 / 146 Steady 0

North Rhine-Westphalia

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2005 254,977 3.1 0 / 187 Steady 0
2010 435,627 5.6 11 / 181 Increase 11
2012 194,428 2.5 0 / 237 Decrease 11
2017 415,936 4.9 0 / 199 Steady 0
2022 146,634 2.1 0 / 195 Steady 0

Rhineland-Palatinate

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2006 44,826 2.6 0 / 101 Steady 0
2011 56,054 3.0 0 / 101 Steady 0
2016 60,074 2.8 0 / 138 Steady 0
2021 48,210 2.5 0 / 138 Steady 0

Saarland

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2009 113,660 21.5 11 / 51 Increase 11
2012 77,612 16.1 9 / 51 Decrease 2
2017 68,566 12.9 7 / 51 Decrease 2
2022 11,689 2.6 0 / 51 Decrease 7

Saxony

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2009 370,359 20.6 29 / 132 Decrease 2
2014 309,568 18.9 27 / 126 Decrease 2
2019 224,411 10.4 14 / 119 Decrease 13
2024 104,891 4.5 6 / 120 Decrease 8

Saxony-Anhalt

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2006 217,295 24.1 26 / 97 Increase 1
2011 235,011 23.7 29 / 105 Increase 3
2016 183,296 16.3 16 / 87 Decrease 13
2021 116,927 11.0 12 / 97 Decrease 4

Schleswig-Holstein

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2009 95,764 6.0 6 / 95 Increase 6
2012 29,900 2.2 0 / 69 Decrease 6
2017 56,018 3.8 0 / 73 Steady 0
2022 23,054 1.7 0 / 69 Steady 0

Thuringia

Election Votes % Seats +/−
2009 288,932 27.4 27 / 88 Decrease 1
2014 265,425 28.2 28 / 91 Increase 1
2019 343,738 31.0 29 / 90 Increase 1
2023 157,641 31.0 12 / 88 Increase 17

Results timeline

Party Year Germany
DE 		European Union
EU 		Baden-Württemberg
BW		 Bavaria
BY		 Berlin
BE		 Brandenburg
BB 		Bremen (state)
HB		 Hamburg
HH		 Hesse
HE		 Lower Saxony
NI		 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
MV		 North Rhine-Westphalia
NW		 Rhineland-Palatinate
RP		 Saarland
SL		 Saxony
SN		 Saxony-Anhalt
ST		 Schleswig-Holstein
SH		 Thuringia
TH
PDS 1990 2.4 9.2 13.4 15.7 10.2 12.0 9.7
1991
1992
1993
1994 Increase 4.4 4.7 Increase 18.7 Increase 22.7 Increase 16.5 Increase 19.9 Increase 16.6
1995 Increase 14.6 2.4
1996
1997 0.7
1998 Increase 5.1 0.2 Increase 24.4 Decrease 19.6
1999 Increase 5.8 Increase 17.7 Increase 23.3 Increase 2.9    0.8 Increase 22.2 Increase 21.3
2000 1.1 1.4
2001 Increase 22.6 Decrease 0.4 0.0
2002 Decrease 4.0    Decrease 16.4 Increase 20.4
2003 Decrease 1.7 Increase 0.4   
2004 Increase 6.1 Increase 28.0 Increase 2.3 Increase 23.6 Increase 26.1
The Left.PDS
& WASG 		2005 Increase 8.7 Increase 3.1 Decrease 0.5
2006 3.1 Decrease 13.4 Increase 16.8 Increase 2.7 Increase 24.1
The Left 2007    Increase 8.4
2008 4.4 6.4 5.1 Increase 7.1
2009 Increase 11.9 Increase 7.5 Decrease 27.2 Increase 5.4 Increase 21.3 Decrease 20.6 Increase 6.0 Increase 27.4
2010    Increase 5.6
2011 Decrease 2.8 Decrease 11.6 Decrease 5.6 Steady 6.4 Increase 18.4 Increase 3.0 Decrease 23.7
2012 Decrease 2.5 Decrease 16.1 Decrease 2.3
2013 Decrease 8.6 Decrease 2.1 Decrease 5.2 Decrease 3.1
2014 Decrease 7.4 Decrease 18.6 Decrease 18.9 Increase 28.2
2015    Increase 9.5 Increase 8.5    
2016 Increase 2.9 Increase 15.6 Decrease 13.2 Decrease 2.8 Decrease 16.3
2017 Increase 9.2     Increase 4.6 Increase 4.9 Decrease 12.8 Increase 3.8
2018 Increase 3.2 Increase 6.3
2019 Decrease 5.5 Decrease 10.7 Increase 11.3 Decrease 10.4 Increase 31.0
2020     Increase 9.1    
2021 Decrease 4.9 Increase 3.6 Decrease 14.0
    		Decrease 9.9 Decrease 2.5 Decrease 11.0
2022 Decrease 2.7    Decrease 2.1 Decrease 2.6 Decrease 1.7
2023 Decrease 1.5 Decrease 12.2 Increase 10.9
    		Decrease 3.1
2024 Decrease 2.7 Decrease 3.0 Decrease 4.5 Decrease 13.1
Party Year Germany
DE 		European Union
EU 		Baden-Württemberg
BW		 Bavaria
BY		 Berlin
BE		 Brandenburg
BB 		Bremen (state)
HB		 Hamburg
HH		 Hesse
HE		 Lower Saxony
NI		 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
MV		 North Rhine-Westphalia
NW		 Rhineland-Palatinate
RP		 Saarland
SL		 Saxony
SN		 Saxony-Anhalt
ST		 Schleswig-Holstein
SH		 Thuringia
TH
Bold indicates best result to date.
  Present in legislature (in opposition)
  Junior coalition partner
  Senior coalition partner

See also

Notes

  1. Used in the party logo and flag.
  2. Used by the German government in their parliamentary diagrams.
  3. Tolerating an SPD–Green minority government.
  4. Tolerating an SPD minority government.

References

  1. ^ "Increase in membership: Is the Left Party recovering from the Wagenknecht shock?". Tagesschau (in German). 16 July 2024.
  2. Raphaël Fèvre, ed. (2021). A Political Economy of Power: Ordoliberalism in Context, 1932-1950. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-197-60780-0. This reference to ordoliberalism has also resonated across the wide spectrum of German politics— albeit in a spirit of opposition to the CDU— from left-wing party leaders of Die Linke to the far-right of Alternative für Deutschland
  3. "Bundestagswahl 2013". Bundestagswahl 2021 (in German). 9 October 2013. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  4. "Bundestagswahl 2021". Bundeswahlleiter (in German). Federal Returning Officer. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  5. Tangian, Andranik (2013). Mathematical Theory of Democracy. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 321. ISBN 978-3-642-38724-1.
  6. "Mitgliederzahlen 2022: DIE LINKE". Die Linke (in German). Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  7. "Mitgliederzahlen 2023". Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  8. Mary Elise Sarotte, 1989: The Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe (second edition). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014
  9. "German election: Could there soon be a left-wing government?". Deutsche Welle. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  10. "Parteien nach 1989". www.teachsam.de. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  11. "Writers warn about Linkspartei". signandsight. 1 July 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  12. van Haute, Emilie; Gauja, Anika, eds. (24 April 2015). Party Members and Activists. Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 9781317524328. Retrieved 22 August 2017 – via Google Books.
  13. Ludwig Greven (29 June 2010). "Präsidentenwahl: Linke, wählt Gauck!" [presidential election: Left, choose Gauck!] (in German). Zeit Online. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  14. "Nicht wählbar": Linke ist gegen Gauck, n-tv, 28 June 2010
  15. Linke verhindert Gauck, Wulff wird Präsident, Manager Magazin
  16. von Markus Ehrenberg (9 June 2010). "Tagesschau: Luc Jochimsen? Oder doch Lukrezia?". Der Tagesspiegel Online. Tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  17. ^ Streit über Präsidentenwahl: Linke verteidigt Anti-Gauck-Kurs, Spiegel Online, 1 July 2010
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Literature

  • Dominic Heilig, Mapping the European Left: Socialist Parties in the EU, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, April 2016
  • David F. Patton. Out of the East: From PDS to Left Party in Unified Germany (State University of New York Press; 2011)
  • Hubertus Knabe, Honeckers Erben. Die Wahrheit über Die Linke. Propyläen, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-549-07329-2
  • Elo, Kimmo (2008). "The Left Party and the Long-Term Developments of the German Party System". German Politics and Society. 26 (88): 50–68. doi:10.3167/gps.2008.260303.
  • Hough, Dan; Koß, Michael (2009). "Populism Personified or Reinvigorated Reformers? The German Left Party in 2009 and Beyond". German Politics and Society. 27 (91): 76–91. doi:10.3167/gps.2009.270206.

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