Left Party leader Schaper now heads state parliamentary group

The six-member Left Party faction in the Saxon state parliament has unanimously elected party leader Susanne Schaper as faction leader. At the constituent meeting of the parliamentary group, Stefan Hartmann - like Schaper, the party's chairman - was also elected deputy parliamentary group leader with the votes of all Linke parliamentarians. Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg also received the full number of votes as Parliamentary Secretary of the parliamentary group. The Left Party received only 4.5 percent of the vote in the state parliamentary elections on September 1. They are only still represented in parliament because they won two direct mandates in Leipzig.

Schaper: got away with two black eyes

"We are now heading into the next five years with a certain amount of humility, but also confidence," said Schaper. We know that we got away with two black eyes. However, the situation is also seen as an opportunity. The Left Party will be perceived as a loud and social opposition in the new state parliament. "We will of course remain true to our values." In view of the Left Party's result in Brandenburg, the new legislature is not just beginning with joy. The fact that a Left Party parliamentary group had to leave an East German state parliament for the first time since reunification was food for thought.

The Saxon left-wing parliamentary group has shrunk by more than half due to its poor performance in the election. In 2019, the party had received 10.4 percent of the vote and 14 members of parliament. According to Schaper, the party wants to retain its brand essence and be the "loud voice for the quiet". As a stable opposition force, the party will stand firm "in the storm of changing times" on issues that may not be capable of winning a majority at the moment. It is about defending democracy. The left is not claiming a vice-presidential position in parliament.