Frankfurt, Germany: The far-left Left Party said on Sunday it would replace its leadership duo later this year as it struggles to overcome an “existential” crisis after a series of setbacks.

Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan announced in a statement that they will not run for another term as co-chairs at the Left Party’s party conference in October.

“I perceive that there is a desire in parts of the party for a fresh start in terms of personnel,” said Wissler.

Their withdrawal came after the Left Party, whose roots lie in both East German communism and the West German labor movement, fell below three percent in the European elections in June.

The party, which narrowly entered the German Bundestag in the 2021 election, has long been torn by internal conflicts.

But the party suffered a severe blow when popular MP Sahra Wagenknecht defected last year and founded a new left-wing populist party, taking nine Left Party MPs with her.

The Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) coalition outperformed Die Linke in the European elections, and polls suggest Die Linke will lag behind the upstart in state elections in three eastern German states next month.

The Left Party’s executive committee had recognized the situation and passed a motion on Saturday in the run-up to the party conference in October, stating that the party was “undoubtedly in a dangerous situation that represents an existential threat.”

The party “needs new perspectives and passion” to drive forward the “necessary renewal,” Schirdewan said on Sunday.

Wissler has been co-chair of the Left Party since 2021, Schirdewan joined her a year later.

Hot-headed politician Wagenknecht has left the party after clashing with leading Left Party MPs over her tough stance on immigration. She is also demanding that Germany stop supplying arms to Ukraine.

Analysts say the BSW, which describes itself as left-wing and conservative, is not only targeting supporters of the far-left camp, but also wants to lure protest voters away from the far-right Alternative for Germany with its anti-immigration and institutionalized rhetoric.