clarification of possible sexism
Left boss Wissler contradicts cover-up accusation
4/23/2022, 4:21 p.m
Party leader Wissler promises to deal with the allegations of sexism within the left. She doesn’t want to know anything about a cover-up. Not even about a possible resignation. Instead, she wants to renew the party. Elsewhere she is self-critical.
Linke leader Janine Wissler has announced a comprehensive clarification of the suspicion of sexism in the party and rejected allegations of cover-up. The cases must be processed as well as possible, said Wissler before a board meeting of the Left Party in Berlin.
After the resignation of co-chair Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, Wissler countered speculation about her own resignation. Together with the entire board, she wants to lead the party through the difficult time and prepare for the party conference in Erfurt at the end of June. Hennig-Wellsow announced her immediate resignation on Wednesday, 14 months after taking office with Wissler. She justified this with unfulfilled expectations in the renewal of the party, personal motives, but also with the way the left deals with sexism in its own ranks. Wissler will continue to lead the left alone for the time being.
Wissler said she rejects the allegation that she was aware of allegations of sexual harassment in the Hesse state association before the end of 2021. When she found out about the allegations, she informed the state board immediately. The office of the Federal Left informed them in mid-January and asked them to forward the process to the appropriate trust group. She herself did not want to do this in order to avoid any suspicion that she wanted to exert any personal influence.
Wissler admits misjudgment
Before the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia in May, Wissler campaigned for the trust of members and supporters. On behalf of the board, Wissler apologized to everyone who had had sexist experiences with the left. She self-critically admitted that it was not enough to set up a trust group made up of members of the board in October to create a contact point for those affected. “Today we have to realize that this structure is not sufficient at all.” It was a misjudgment that a trust group made up of members of a board of directors could deal with such cases. The Executive Board is now resorting to external help in order to enable clarification independent of internal party interests. The 44-strong Left Board wanted to discuss how to proceed after Hennig-Wellsow’s resignation by Sunday.
The party congress in Erfurt was originally not planned as an election convention but as a program convention. The Thuringian state parliament member Katja Maurer had campaigned in the “Capital Podcast” of the news portal “The Pioneer” for Wissler to also vacate her post. Several members of the 44-strong party executive want to let the base decide on the future party leadership.