NAfter the surprising resignation of co-leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, Left Party leader Janine Wissler wants to continue running the party alone for the time being. A party spokesman said this after the crisis deliberations of the federal executive board late Wednesday evening of the German Press Agency. Wissler complied with a request from the federal executive board in the evening.
The party executive thanked Hennig-Wellsow for her work, as the spokesman explained. On Wednesday, just one year and two months after taking office together, she announced her immediate resignation. She justified her step with unfulfilled expectations in the renewal of the party, how her party dealt with sexism in its own ranks, but also with personal concerns. According to federal manager Jörg Schindler, the party executive is to be re-elected in June.
External consultants for processing
In the evening, the federal executive committee of the party discussed Hennig-Wellsow’s resignation, which was unexpected for many, for a long time. The focus of the digital crisis switch, which had already been set before the co-boss resigned, was also dealing with suspected cases of sexual assault within the party.
To process the suspected cases that have become known so far, the party wants to use external consultants, a spokesman for the dpa said late Wednesday evening. In its almost three-hour digital meeting, the party executive unanimously passed a motion entitled “Solidarity with those affected and consistent action against sexism, border crossings and sexualised violence”. The party executive hopes to be able to offer those affected a safe contact point in the future, it said.
The news magazine “Der Spiegel” reported last Friday about “suspected border crossings, abuse of power and a toxic macho culture” in the Hessian state association, based on discussions with ten women and men. The youth organization Linksjugend, which is associated with the left, had also announced that it had spoken to “more than 30 other people affected” since Friday, as its federal spokeswoman Sarah Dubiel told the German Press Agency.
“Blatant deficits” in dealing with sexism
In her resignation, Hennig-Wellsow also cited the party’s internal handling of sexism as one of the reasons for her departure. There are “blatant deficits,” she wrote. In connection with the suspected cases, party leader Wissler was accused of not having done enough to deal with the suspicions as a former parliamentary group leader in the Hessian state parliament. After Hennig-Wellsow’s resignation and the criticism of dealing with sexism, it initially remained unclear whether Wissler would remain in office.
On February 27, 2021, Hennig-Wellsow and Wissler replaced the long-standing leadership duo Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger, who had waived another term as party leaders.