For a long time the Left in the East German states was the voice of the dissatisfied, obtaining election results that it could only dream of in the West of the Republic. After Sunday's election defeat, she is suddenly just one of many parties - the AfD has clearly overtaken them. Sahra Wagenknecht criticizes his own party now for mistakes in the election campaign.
"We have been the voice of the discontented for many years," said the outgoing left-wing fraction leader in the Bundestag the editorial network Germany (Tuesday). "By alienating ourselves from our former constituents, we made it easy for the AfD, so we share in their success."
She added: "The growing distance to this lifeworld is also reflected in our dealings with AFD voters who like to be labeled as racists, even though many of them have voted left earlier."
The left fell in Saxony and Brandenburg to about ten percent and lost in both cases about eight percentage points. Voters went to the AfD, but also lost all other parties (read more here).
Question about the target group
The left had to clarify, for whom they wanted to make policy primarily, said Wagenknecht. "For the well educated upper middle class in the metropolitan area or for those who are struggling harder and harder for their little wealth, if we want to reach people beyond the hip metropolitan milieu, then we have to take their view of things seriously, rather than lecturing them they have to talk and to think, "said Wagenknecht, who only acts until the replacement of their function in the fall. Among other things, because of similar earlier utterances, she is cross with parts of her party.
The head of the parliament also warned the climate protection of their party. "If parts of the Left advocate the carbon tax that would hit commuters and the middle class outside of the big cities, we need not be surprised that many turn away."
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