By Verena Schmitt-Roschmann, dpa I Friday, August 18, 2023
BERLIN – Germany’s far-left opposition has slid further into turmoil after the parliamentary group leader of the Die Linke (The Left) party, Dietmar Bartsch, decided to step down.
The long-time leader will not run in the party’s internal elections on September 4, the 65-year-old announced on Wednesday in a letter to his parliamentary group that was seen by dpa. Bartsch said he had made the decision a long time ago.
Recently, his co-chairperson Amira Mohamed Ali announced her withdrawal, citing the party’s handling of rumours that its best-known figure, Sahra Wagenknecht, might bolt to found a new party.
If this happens, Linke and its parliamentary group in the Bundestag could face an internal split.
Bartsch, however, said his exit was not prompted by the crisis, but said his decision “had been made long before the last Bundestag election” in 2021 and had been known to his family and close political friends.
He added: “Yes, many have strongly urged me in the past days and weeks to run again, given the uneasy situation for the party. In the end, I stuck to my decision.”
The hard-left party’s co-leaders, Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan, expressed regret at Bartsch’s decision, paid tribute to him and thanked him. They said they counted him among their allies “in the struggle for a strong and united Linke.”
Bartsch has been co-chair of the Linke parliamentary group since 2015, first together with Wagenknecht and most recently with Mohamed Ali.
Wagenknecht, perhaps Germany’s best-known far-left politician, has become increasingly estranged from her party colleagues over some of her outspoken populist positions, including sharp criticism of Germany’s pandemic measures and her calls for more restrictive immigration policies.
She has also been a vocal critic of weapons deliveries to Ukraine and accused the German government of waging “economic war” against Russia.
Wagenknecht is expected to decide by the end of the year whether she will found her own party, potentially syphoning off Linke lawmakers. If she does, Linke could lose money, posts and influence.
