The legacy of the GDR
Die Linke is the democratic successor to the former Social Unity Party of Germany in the GDR.
Ahead of the Bundestag elections on 21 September 2021, let us introduce you to the German political parties that are represented in the. In Germany, parties only win seats in parliament if they obtain five percent or more of the votes.
The party:
Die Linke
Die Linke party
Established:
2007
Members:
60,862
MPs in the Bundestag in the period 2017-2021:
69 of 709 MPs in total
Historic figures:
Gregor Gysi, former Chairman of the SED and its successor party, the PDS
Bodo Ramelow, Premier of Thuringia, first and only head of government for Die Linke
Profile: Die Linke (i.e. The Left) emerged in 2007 following the merger of the PDS, the democratic successor to the GDR SED party primarily in the new federal states, and the left-wing WASG which split from the SPD in the old federal states. Die Linke traditionally performs best in elections in the new federal states. Parts of the party are monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution for suspected left-wing-extremist tendencies that violate the liberal basic democratic order. The Linke party stands for democratic socialism, wants Germany to leave Nato and calls for a fundamental transformation of the EU.
Website: www.die-linke.de
Links to portraits of other political parties:
CDU/CSU , SPD, Greens, FDP, AfD
