Left leader Wissler at party conference: Russia bears responsibility for "escalation"

Created: 06/24/2022, 15:29

By: Stefan Krieger, Christian Stör

Left leader Wissler swears the left at the start of the federal party conference in Erfurt to a new beginning.

The news ticker.

• The party conference of the left begins on Friday (June 12) in Erfurt

• After internal disputes, a completely new board is elected

• We inform the news ticker about the decisions of the 570 delegates

+++ 3.15 p.m .:

Left leader Janine Wissler swore her ailing party to a fresh start in a combative and acclaimed speech at the start of the federal party conference.

In doing so, she relied on strict left-wing opposition to the traffic light coalition in Erfurt.

At the same time, she distanced herself from Sahra Wagenknecht and clearly differentiated the left from the previously Russia-friendly course.

"The Russian leadership is responsible for this escalation," said Wissler.

"The criminal war of aggression cannot be justified by anything." At the same time, Wissler called for her party to work for poorer people and for a consistent climate change with social security.

"The impending climate catastrophe requires democratic intervention in the economy," said Wissler.

"We need the biggest investment program ever."

She demanded unity and a united appearance from her party.

The left must not send contradicting signals.

"Left-wing politics must provoke, polarize and exacerbate, always along the lines 'above' and 'below' and never from 'below' to 'further down,'" emphasized the chairwoman.

"We shouldn't polarize our own voters and membership, but between ourselves and our political opponents."

Janine Wissler (Die Linke), party leader, speaks at the beginning of the three-day federal party conference in the Erfurt exhibition center.

© Martin Schutt/dpa

Party Congress of the Left: Attacks become an issue

Update from Friday, June 24, 12:50 p.m .:

The left wants to create further sanction options in response to allegations of sexual assault in its own ranks.

"So far, we have not had any further sanctions under the party exclusion for problematic behavior by members," said party leader Janine Wissler on the sidelines of the Federal Party Congress of the Left in Erfurt.

A change in the statutes should therefore be discussed at the three-day party conference.

In established cases of sexual and racist assaults, the party executive should be able to order with a two-thirds majority that the members have to give up some or all of their offices and functions for their misconduct.

Arbitration proceedings are to be opened within six weeks, which will make a final decision.

Party Congress of the Left begins in Erfurt

First report from June 24th:

Erfurt – Before the start of the Left Party Congress on June 24th, Bundestag faction leader Dietmar Bartsch called on his party to “pull it together”.

"The party congress is an opportunity for the left to make a comeback," Bartsch told the

on Friday.

The signal must be: "We understand, we pull ourselves together."

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"We not only have our say with more than two million voters," Bartsch continued.

"The wars of this world, the pandemics, the blatant social injustice, the climate crisis need a strong left that does not concern itself with itself, but aggressively represents the interests of the losers of the traffic light policy." In the party spectrum, the left is "the advocate of the little people".

That needs to be clearer.

Party congress of the left: party executive is re-elected

The left meets on June 24 from 12 noon for its party conference in Erfurt, where it elects a new leadership and positions itself on the Ukraine war.

In the wake of the sexism allegations in its Hessian state association, the party leadership decided to re-elect the entire party executive.

On Friday, around 570 delegates will decide on a key motion by the party executive, in which Russia is accused of “imperialist policies” because of the Ukraine war.

A group led by former faction leader Sahra Wagenknecht, who sees the West as partly to blame for the war, is demanding changes to the text.

Party Congress of the Left: The most promising applicants for the two chair positions 

• Janine Wissler

  
  

  The 41-year-old Janine Wissler has been at the head of the party since February 2021.

  It therefore shares responsibility for the disastrous situation of the left.

• Heidi Reichinnek

  
  

  The 34-year-old member of the Bundestag, Heidi Reichinnek, claims that for a fresh start on the left, other minds are needed.

• Sören Pellmann

  
  

  Leipzig member of the Bundestag Sören Pellmann also claims to unite the hopelessly divided left.

• Martin Schirdewan

  
  

  The Left MEP Martin Schirdewan doesn't want to be associated with any faction, but sees himself as a pragmatist: he wants to "strengthen the profile again as a modern socialist justice party".

Party Congress of the Left in Erfurt: Wagenknecht criticized Wissler

Before the party congress, Wagenknecht criticized the party executive committee led by party leader Janine Wissler.

"We need to rebuild our profile as a social justice party and as a peace party, instead of chasing after the Greens and soliciting sympathy in milieus where arms sales and war rhetoric are currently in vogue," she told the

newspapers on Friday.

"I am appalled that parts of the party executive wanted to change the leading motion in such a way that even the approval of so-called 'human rights wars' that violate international law should be possible." Condemn the war waged by Russia against Ukraine just as sharply as the illegal wars waged by the USA and its allies in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere".

However, Wagenknecht will be absent from the party conference.

According to her own statements, she cannot participate due to illness.

At the beginning of the party congress, the incumbent party leader Janine Wissler speaks.

The speech will be followed by a discussion of the lead motions.

In the evening (8 p.m.) it will be about the "fight against patriarchal power structures, violence and sexism".

The board election is scheduled for Saturday (June 25).

(Talk to dpa/afp)