The Left in Saxony: New leadership wants to get back into the race in 2029!

The Left in Saxony: New leadership wants to get back into the race in 2029!

In an exciting redefinition of the Saxon left, Anja Eichhorn and Marco Böhme have taken the lead. At their party conference in Leipzig, the two new state chairmen were elected with 70.5% and 63.7% of the vote, respectively. Outgoing party leaders Stefan Hartmann and Susanne Schaper, who led the party during the difficult quarter period after the last state election, did not run again. “We are not leaving a ‘heap of broken pieces’,” emphasized Schaper, who, together with Hartmann, was able to double the number of members of the Left to over 11,000 members, making the party the strongest in Saxony. However, the Left was only able to achieve 4.5% of the vote in the last state election on September 1, 2024, winning two direct mandates in the Leipzig 1 and Leipzig 4 constituencies, which enabled it to enter parliament. Böhme, who is 35 years old, suffered defeat in the election when he missed out on the direct mandate, but he remains an influential figure in the new party leadership as parliamentary manager. In this election, the Left missed the five percent threshold, which made it difficult to gain support in the state parliament. [nd-aktuell] reports that under the new leadership the party plans to strike back in Saxony in the super election year of 2029.

But what lies ahead for the new leadership? An important issue is the state budget, for which Hartmann and Schaper secured the parliamentary group the opportunity to negotiate the budget. The current coalition of CDU and SPD is having difficulty finding a majority and needs support from the opposition. There is considerable resistance within the left against the draft budget, which, according to Schaper, envisages dramatic cuts. The pressure from initiatives and associations is high, as there are many requests for approval of a budget that is hardly adequate for social, educational and climate policy areas. Minimum conditions are required for the left's approval, including taking on debt, financing social projects and, above all, positive changes in the health and education sectors. [MDR] highlights that an emergency motion has been passed, which gives MPs the necessary flexibility for negotiations.

The party mission of the left

The new party leadership is optimistic and not only wants to stabilize the Left, but also set a clear course in Saxony's political landscape. Böhme emphasizes that the Left will not tilt to the right, which is considered its most important unique selling point. Expectations among the electorate are high, especially given the challenges that have arisen in recent years due to social coldness and increasing poverty risks. Sören Pellmann, parliamentary group leader of the Left in the Bundestag, has already announced that the Left is ready to steer the country in a different direction and emphasizes the need for a nationwide rent cap and measures against child and old-age poverty. This makes it clear that the Left in Saxony and beyond wants to be a strong voice against growing inequality.

When the election newspaper “Sachsen aktuell” is distributed through households, the focus is on the topics of peace, the art of Caspar David Friedrich and the social projects of the Left. The electorate is clearly defined: German citizens with their main residence in Saxony who are at least 18 years old are called upon to cast their vote. A total of 120 representatives will be elected in the state elections, including 60 from individual constituencies. This leaves the Saxon left with an immense challenge and responsibility to win back the trust of its citizens and play a key role in shaping future politics. [The Left Saxony] also describes the need for social justice and social cohesion, which will be the basis of its future political agenda.