According to Der Spiegel, sections of the Left party are unhappy with one of its leader’s comments
One of Germany’s major political opposition forces is on the verge of splitting, Der Spiegel has claimed.
A Friday report by the media outlet detailed a dispute within the Left party regarding Sahra Wagenknecht, one of their senior members.
Der Spiegel claims that she fell out of grace with many of her comrades due to her position on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Wagenknecht has repeatedly criticized Berlin’s sanctions on Moscow and called for talks with the Kremlin.
Wagenknecht reportedly complained that a party colleague and Thuringia’s governor, Bodo Ramelow, had called her “Putin’s propagandist.”
Der Spiegel reports that she became aware of the strength and opposition to her late last month when she was invited by the Left party to speak at Leipzig’s rally. However, the invitation was later withdrawn.
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The exact reasons for this are unknown, but according to an SMS reportedly sent by Wagenknecht to her colleagues and quoted by Der Spiegel, the firebrand suspected the party’s head office was behind the decision.
Der Spiegel reported this week that Wagenknecht was permitted to speak at the Bundestag after much debate, provided she does not ask for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipe opening. She did not do so, but did accuse the government in Berlin of waging an “economic war against our most important energy supplier.”
Her comrades were harshly critical of her remarks. Ramelow claimed that her speech undermined the party’s image as a “Right, Progressive Political Power” Der Spiegel reported.
In the article it was stated that many prominent Left party members were already leaving the party, believing that it would not survive the current state of affairs.
A March internal memo leaked by the party suggests Wagenknecht may not be the only one with similar views. The anonymous paper, allegedly written by senior party members, described the conflict in Ukraine as a “Civil war” with “Nazi elements” involved.
