German elections: The left overcomes the crisis

Many had already written off the German Left, but according to the latest polls, it is likely to re-enter the Bundestag. Its membership is even growing. What is the reason for this?

Jan van Aken is in a great mood. The Left Party's leading candidate, who was relatively unknown in Germany before this campaign, talks enthusiastically about his party's election rallies. "The atmosphere is like a Backstreet Boys concert! We have to take time for selfies everywhere - me for at least an hour, Heidi for at least two."

Heidi is the other leading candidate for the Left: Heidi Reichinek, a 36-year-old from Lower Saxony. In the final weeks of the campaign leading up to the Bundestag elections, she became an internet phenomenon. Clips of her speeches in the Bundestag on Instagram and TikTok have received millions of views. An estimated 29 million people on social media watched her angry speech in the German parliament after the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) voted together.

What happened to the Left, a party that had long been written off, in which almost no one believed anymore, not even many of its members? Which was thought to never make it back into the Bundestag?

Focused on key topics

The Left Party has focused its campaign on a few key issues – high rents and high prices in shops. The party offers concrete tools, such as apps to help people who suspect they are victims of high rents or heating costs. The Left Party leadership has also reduced its own salaries to €2.850 – the average salary of a skilled worker in Germany.

And one more thing: there are no more internal conflicts in the Left – or at least they are not being made public. Jan van Aken comments on the fact that Sarah Wagenknecht broke away and founded her own party with the following words: “200 people had to leave in order for 20.000 new ones to come.” The fact is that the party called the Left is now almost 18 years old and has never had this many members before. The average age of new members joining the Left is around 28.

Against restrictive migration policies

The Left opposes tougher measures against migrants, making it almost the only party in Germany with such a stance. This is precisely what makes it attractive to certain groups of voters – especially in large cities and among students. That may not be enough for a double-digit election result at the level of the whole of Germany, but, as the forecasts show, it is enough for the Left to pass the five percent threshold and re-enter the Bundestag.

The public debate about whether it was right for the CDU/CSU – and thus probably the future chancellor, their candidate Friedrich Merz – to try to pass a tougher migrant law together with the AfD further helped the Left.

Strategic door-to-door campaign

To reach out to potential voters again, the Left Party is relying on a door-to-door campaign. It's a sunny but bitterly cold Saturday morning in Berlin's Neukölln district in February. Volunteers are gathering at a "welcome center." They will be taking part in the Left Party's campaign that weekend.

Although the organizers are aware that the party is growing, they are still surprised by the large turnout. Hundreds of activists come to Neukölln, not only from other parts of Berlin, but from all over Germany – from Bremen, Leipzig, and even from as far away as Stuttgart.

This approach is well thought out. The party has identified several electoral districts where it has a realistic chance of winning direct mandates, and is focusing specifically on these locations in the final phase of the campaign. The Neukölln district in Berlin is one of them.

Motivation for a different policy

Elie and Klara have traveled from Göttingen to talk to people on their doorsteps – about their problems. Klara is 20 years old and studying physics – she is not yet a party member when she comes to campaign, but a few days later she decides to join the Left. Elie, 24, is studying philosophy and political science, and has been a member of the Left for a year and a half.

They are motivated, but also worried about the strengthening of the right and the strong support for the AfD, which, they say, makes them feel helpless. They want to do something, to send a message. They also believe in the idea of ​​solidarity and togetherness. And they radiate that. That's why many people are willing to take a few minutes to talk on their doorstep.

For example, a 150-year-old man first tells them that he can’t vote because he’s not a German citizen. “That doesn’t matter,” Klara replies, “we’re still neighbors.” She asks him what’s worrying him most right now. He seems a little surprised, but then admits that food prices are driving him crazy. He and his wife have four children, and he works as a construction worker. Before the war in Ukraine, his weekly food and shopping expenses for a family of six cost him between 180 and 250 euros. Now he spends XNUMX euros a week, and that’s a serious problem for him.

Contact with people and their problems

Politicians from the Left can tell dozens of similar stories. The party shaped its election promise precisely on the basis of these conversations. Even if they don't convince every interlocutor to vote for them – contact with potential voters has been re-established.

At the moment, it seems as if the Left Party has managed to completely reorganize itself, thanks to a combination of door-to-door campaigning, a successful campaign on Instagram and TikTok, and what they have called the “Mission of the Gray Curls.” Under this slogan, three well-known, old and popular politicians of the party, Gregor Gizi, Bodo Ramelov and Ditmar Barč, intend to win direct mandates and enter the Bundestag.

In this way, the Left has become attractive to significantly younger, left-leaning voters – people who are not intimidated by the party president's talk about the possibility of expropriating large companies and that land for housing construction should be in state hands.