The leaders of the Left Party in Germany announced on Sunday that they will resign from their posts at the party conference in October.

Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan confirmed in statements on the Left Party’s website that they will not run again.

Election defeats and questions raised

This move came after a series of bitter electoral defeats and growing dissatisfaction within the party with the co-chairs.

“I notice that there is a desire in parts of the party for a fresh start in terms of personnel,” said Wissler. “I believe that now is the right time, two months before the party conference, to create clarity so that the party has enough time for a transparent process and for the party to form an internal opinion on candidates.”

Existence of the Left Party threatened

The decision came just one day after the Left Party leadership acknowledged in a motion for the upcoming summit in October that the party was “without a doubt in a dangerous, existentially threatening situation.”

In the last federal election in 2021, the party received only 4.9 percent of the vote, falling below the 5 percent hurdle required to enter the chamber.

Departure of Sahra Wagenknecht coincides with decline

In his statement, Schirdewan called on party members to remain united. “Give those who will soon take over the helm the chance and the trust to lead the party. To do this, an end to the sometimes destructive power politics within our own ranks is necessary,” he said.

The party has experienced a decline in recent years, particularly after the resignation of former leader Sahra Wagenknecht, which was mainly due to her views on immigration.

Wagenknecht had questioned the green turnaround and blamed the West for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which brought her into conflict with many within the party.

In 2023 she founded her own party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

jsi/lo (dpa, AFP)