Why did the left fare so badly in the federal election?
Bodo Ramelow sees a reason in the wrong topic setting.
Erfurt - The Left is one of the losers in the Bundestag election.
Compared to 2017, the party has almost halved its result.
The left moved into the Bundestag only because of three direct mandates it won; in fact, it would have failed with 4.9 percent of the five percent hurdle.
The work-up is now beginning within the party.
What was it?
Bundestag election: Ramelow criticizes own party - "Did stupid things"
Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow sees a starting point in the metropolitan view of his Left Party. “My party did stupid things,” he told the
Leipziger Volkszeitung
. As examples, Ramelow cited the billboarding of the rent cover in rural areas and the demand for free local transport in regions where there are hardly any buses. "People are laughing at each other." The party must now speak openly and honestly about the direction, demanded Ramelow. In the process, party-wide Sahra Wagenknecht also comes into focus.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ramelow himself cannot shirk responsibility when coming to terms with the election debacle.
As the only left head of government, it enjoys a high reputation in the party - in Thuringia, however, not everything went according to plan recently.
The left in free fall?
Thuringia: Chaos in the state parliament - minority government under pressure
There has recently been increased chaos in the Thuringian state parliament.
After the last state elections, there was a government crisis because the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich was elected Prime Minister with votes from the AfD.
Ramelow even had to face a constructive vote of no confidence in July.
AfD politician Björn Höcke stood for election.
The vote was boycotted by the CDU - which caused criticism.
The new election of the state parliament, which was agreed with the Union by the red-red-green minority government, which was to take place with the federal election, was then canceled by the left and the Greens.
The main reason was the lack of votes from the Union parliamentary group for the dissolution of parliament.
Ultimately, only the AfD voted against Ramelow and for Höcke.
The party already stated at the beginning that it was only about a "symbol" anyway.
Even after the federal elections, the AfD occupies the Left Party more than it would like.
With 23.7 percent, the AfD had become the strongest force in Thuringia at the end of September (together with the SPD).
The left got 12.3 percent.
The political mood in Thuringia seems to be turning.
Thuringia survey: AfD strongest force - left clearly loses
This is also confirmed by a current survey by the Insa Institute on behalf of the Thuringian newspapers of the
Funke media group.
According to the survey, the AfD could roughly confirm its election result of the state elections of 2019 with 24 percent;
it would be the strongest force.
The SPD improved significantly to 21 percent (plus 12.8 points compared to the last survey in July).
The CDU would only have 15 percent (minus 6.7 points).
The left would plunge eleven points to 20 percent.
As a result, the picture is solidifying that the Left Party's severe losses in the Bundestag election cannot only be identified at individual points such as an overly pronounced view of the big city.
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