About: Die Linke

Mélenchon’s narrow defeat creates momentum for Europe’s leftists

France's far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon failed to reach the second round of presidential elections on Sunday (10 April), but Europe's leftists are still encouraged by his close third place. EURACTIV France reports.

Greens and Liberals hold key to form next German government

Following Sunday's federal election, the most likely outcome for the new German Bundestag is one of two coalitions: a Social Democrat-led 'traffic light'-coalition or a Conservative-led 'Jamaica'-coalition. Both camps will now try to win over kingmakers, the Greens and Liberals, to secure a stable majority.

German far left courts SPD and Greens for three-way coalition

Germany's far-left Linke pitched themselves on Monday (6 September) as would-be coalition partners for the Social Democrats and Greens after the 26 September election, arguing they offer the two larger parties the best chance of delivering their social policies.

Coal exit debate haunts German parties ahead of election

With the German elections less than a month away, the country’s agreed 2038 coal exit looks increasingly untenable. Yet, with voters increasingly concerned about the climate, leaders' past policy choices are coming back to haunt them.

German lawmakers call for ending exports of banned pesticides

Pesticides that are currently banned in Europe may still be exported to foreign countries, an issue which highlights the EU's lack of coherence, according to the leftist Die Linke and the Greens. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German government criticises Turkey’s Syria invasion

The Turkish invasion into the Kurdish region lacked "legitimacy under international law". Berlin's development ministry wants to help in northern Syria because of COVID-19. EURACTIV's media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

Crisis-ridden SPD wins state parliamentary elections in Hamburg

Voters in Hamburg gave the SPD one of their best election results in recent years in a regional election on Sunday (23 February). With 38,9% of the vote, Peter Tschentscher (SPD) will continue as the city’s mayor, while the Greens doubled their share of the vote to reach 24,4%. Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU, however, performed poorly.

Record numbers of young voters backed AfD in Thuringia state election

The state elections in Thuringia on Sunday (27 October) demonstrated how strong the AfD was among young people under 30, who voted in record numbers for the far-right party. Die Linke (the Left) came in second, while the Greens lagged far behind. EURACTIV's media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

Far-right AfD falls short of first place in both German state elections

Right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved historical gains in state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg but Chancellor Merkel’s CDU and its coalition partner SPD remain strongest political parties allowing current grand coalition to hold on until 2021.

German Left Party’s Gysi: EU shouldn’t be understood as necessary evil

The German Left Party has adopted its programme and named Martin Schirdewan, a 43-year old MEP, and Özlem Demirel as its top candidates for the European elections. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

European Left leader: All leftwing and progressive parties must oppose rise of far-right

Progressive forces need to stand up to the rise of far-right movements by building a social, Gregor Gysi said in an interview with EURACTIV, and the run-up to the EU elections provides a "historic window of opportunity".

Aufstehen: ‘We don’t want a German Europe, we want a European Germany’

Two weeks passed since the German leftist movement “Aufstehen” was officially formed – and according to their own account, it already has more than 140,000 supporters. EURACTIV Germany spoke to Fabio De Masi, deputy chairman of Die Linke in the German Bundestag about the European ambitions of the movement.

German far-left politician launches ‘Stand up’ movement

A German far-left politician will launch today (4 September) a cross-party movement called "Stand up" (Aufstehen.de), modelled on the populist campaigns of US Senator Bernie Sanders and Britain's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

German elections: The race for third place

Voters head to the polls on Sunday (24 September) for a race where the winner is almost pre-ordained. This may drive a protest vote that could see the far-right AfD become the official opposition.

Germany’s Free Democrats may stall EU reform hopes

A week before German elections, the storied Free Democratic Party looks set to recover from a historic 2013 defeat and return to parliament - where it could make Berlin a much more awkward partner for its European neighbours.

German Gaza protests turn violent, raising anti-Semitism fears

Violence, hate speech, self-immolation: the Middle East conflict has reached Germany, with observers worrying that riots during recent Gaza demonstrations are an expression of deeply rooted anti-Semitism. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German Left Party: ‘Eurosceptic AfD is our political opponent’

Germany's Left Party (Die Linke) calls for EU-wide referenda, criticises austerity policy and denounces bailouts for banks, sparking claims of significant overlap with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). The Left Party rejects these allegations. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Die Linke attacks minimum wage age limit

German Labour Minister Andrea Nahles tabled a draft law last week introducing a minimum wage of €8.50 per hour. But opposition leaders from the Left Party (Die Linke) have already announced legal action against the proposed legislation. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German MP (Die Linke): ‘We are still far from the 0.7% development aid target’

Germany's new development minister is on the right track, but involving private companies is not the appropriate policy in Africa. Instead, building up local regional markets should be the aim, says Left Party MP Niema Movassat.

Eurosceptic election manifesto divides Germany’s left

A draft election manifesto just released by Germany's Left Party is highly critical of the EU. Amid rising euroscepticism the party is split over whether the document's wording accurately depicts its European message.