Wednesday November 10, 2021
Conflict in Saarland
Left faction splits
A week ago the left parliamentary group in Saarland expelled a member of parliament. This now pulls another delegate on their side and founds its own parliamentary group. This is another chapter in the power struggle of the party’s national association.
Less than five months before the state elections in Saarland, the left-wing faction in the state parliament split up. Today, Wednesday, a new parliamentary group called Saar-Linke was constituted, as announced by the state parliament in Saarbrücken. The new parliamentary group consists of the two left-wing politicians Barbara Spaniol and Dagmar Ensch-Engel. Spaniol was expelled from the parliamentary group about a week ago, Ensch-Engel had not been a member for a long time.
Spaniol is also Vice President of the State Parliament. Since this office is not compatible with her new function as parliamentary group leader, she resigned it with immediate effect, according to the state parliament.
According to a spokeswoman, two mandate holders are necessary for the formation of a parliamentary group in the Saarland state parliament. This quorum is met. The left-wing faction under its boss Oskar Lafontaine now has only five members according to its own information. Originally she had seven seats after the state elections in 2017.
Spaniol excluded
Thus, the rift between the state party and the parliamentary group is drawing wider circles. Spaniol was expelled from the parliamentary group last week. The reason given was that “trusting cooperation” was no longer possible. Spaniol did not support the parliamentary group in the dispute with the state executive.
Against the background of the conflict within the leadership of the party, parliamentary group leader Oskar Lafontaine decided not to run again as a candidate in the state elections on March 27, 2022. On November 21, the party plans to draw up its state list. The rift within the party was triggered by a violent dispute over the top candidate of the Saarland left for the federal election.
In the end, the party members voted in favor of the country chief Thomas Lutze, while the parliamentary group favored the deputy Dennis Lander. The parliamentary group accused Lutze of not being a suitable representative in the Bundestag because he represented different positions than the party on key issues.