Left for talks "on an equal footing" with the CDU/CSU

The Left Party is offering the CDU/CSU talks on political decisions that require a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag - such as the confirmation of judges for the Federal Constitutional Court. The condition for this is "that there are no parallel negotiations with the AfD", said party leader Ines Schwerdtner on the fringes of the Left Party conference in Chemnitz.

The Left also expects negotiations on an equal footing, she added. We will "not just agree to things when the place is on fire, when we are needed". The Left must be "taken seriously as a partner". The party had achieved almost nine percent of the vote. "We must also be able to say to our voters: What have we achieved if we vote? We will not simply vote to make it easier for Friedrich Merz," said Schwerdtner.

The party recently scored a success in the Bundestag: as CDU leader Merz failed in his first attempt to become chancellor, the CDU/CSU approached the Left Party for the first time in order to facilitate a quick second round of voting. The Left now wants an end to the so-called incompatibility resolution, with which the CDU/CSU rules out parliamentary cooperation with the Left

The Left still had poll ratings of only around three percent in the fall of 2024. However, the party then achieved 8.8 percent in the Bundestag elections. It doubled its membership within a few months and now claims to have around 112,000 members.