recruited local politicians
Gysi wants to fight any Wagenknecht party sharply
6/23/2023 4:36 am
Sahra Wagenknecht leaves open whether she will actually found her own party. If it comes to that, she has to reckon with strong resistance from Gregor Gysi. According to a report, he is angry about attempts to recruit left-wing politicians.
According to a media report, left-wing politician Gregor Gysi has announced internally that he intends to fight sharply against a new party led by Sahra Wagenknecht. The 75-year-old is said to have reacted extremely annoyed when he heard that local politicians from the left in several eastern German states were asked whether they wanted to switch to a possible new party, reports the “Spiegel”, citing the environment of the left-wing top politician . A red line had been crossed for Gysi, according to one of Gysi’s confidants.
In the past few months, the left co-founder had tried to reconcile Wagenknecht with the party. A joint paper should be created by him, the party and parliamentary group leaders and Wagenknecht. But that never happened, Gysi’s efforts failed.
A week ago, Gysi Wagenknecht asked to refrain from founding a competing party. However, should Wagenknecht actually found a party, she would have to give up her Bundestag mandate, the former Left Party leader demanded. “Everything else would then really be a mandate theft for me, and an immoral mandate theft at that.”
New fuel for speculation
He will continue to fight passionately against attempts to eliminate the left, said Gysi – also against “that former leftists of such a half-left, half-right party are trying to eliminate us”. Wagenknecht has been at odds with the party leadership around chairmen Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan for months and is toying with the idea of founding a rival party. According to information from the left, there were concrete recruitment attempts from Wagenknecht’s environment for the new project.
Recently, Wagenknecht had fueled speculation about a new party. She told the broadcaster “Welt” – with a view to the current poll high of the AfD – that she thinks a weakening of the AfD by a newly founded party is possible. This could win back voters. If there were again an “attractive offer” in the political landscape, “with good minds, with a serious program,” then she believes that a great many would vote for such a party.
However, Wagenknecht left open whether this new party should be one she founded herself. It is clear that a new party is needed as an AfD alternative. According to Wagenknecht, this must stand for “economic reason, for social justice, for liberality and freedom of expression”. Without such an offer, “the only choice left is between the parties that are there – and that’s a pretty frustrating choice for many people,” said the left-wing politician.