The Left (Germany) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Left Die Linke
Chairpersons	Janine Wissler Martin Schirdewan
Deputy Chairpersons	Ates Gürpinar Lorenz Gösta Beutin Katina Schubert Jana Seppelt
Secretary	Harald Wolf
Founded	16 June 2007 (2007-06-16)
Merger of	PDS WASG
Headquarters	Karl-Liebknecht-Haus Kleine Alexanderstraße 28 D-10178 Berlin
Think tank	Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
Student wing	Die Linke.SDS
Youth wing	Left Youth Solid
Membership (2022)	54,214
Ideology	Democratic socialism Left-wing populism
Political position	Left-wing
European affiliation	Party of the European Left
European Parliament group	The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
Colours	Red (official)      Purple (customary)
Bundestag	28 / 736
Bundesrat	4 / 69
State Parliaments	118 / 1,894
European Parliament	5 / 96
Heads of State Governments	1 / 16
Party flag
Politics of Germany Political parties ^ A: A broad left-wing party, it has also been described as far-left by some news outlets.

The Left (German: Die Linke) is a political party in Germany. It believes in democratic socialism. This means it supports a society where everyone is equal and has a fair chance. The party was created in 2007. It formed when two older parties joined together. These were the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative.

The PDS was connected to the old ruling party of East Germany. This was the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). Since 2022, Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan have been the party's leaders. The Left has 28 seats in the Bundestag. This is Germany's main parliament. They won 4.9% of the votes in the 2021 election.

The Left is part of the government in some German states. These include Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Thuringia, the party leads the government. Its leader, Bodo Ramelow, is the head of the state government there. The Left is also a founding member of the Party of the European Left. This is a group of similar parties across Europe. In 2022, The Left had over 54,000 members. It is the sixth-largest party in Germany.

The party supports ideas like being against capitalism. It is also against fascism and war. It is the most left-wing party in the Bundestag. In late 2023, some members left the party. They formed a new group called Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht. This caused The Left to lose its official group in the Bundestag.

Party History: How The Left Started

The PDS: From East Germany to a New Party

The main party that led to The Left was the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). This party came from the Socialist Unity Party (SED). The SED used to rule East Germany. In 1989, the SED faced many problems. Its leader, Erich Honecker, was replaced by Egon Krenz. Krenz started some small changes. He made it easier to travel between East and West Berlin. This accidentally led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The SED gave up its power in November 1989. Krenz resigned soon after. Gregor Gysi became the new leader. He was part of a group that wanted reforms. The party tried to change its image. It removed old leaders like Honecker and Krenz. The new government worked with other groups. They planned free elections. By December, the SED was no longer a strict communist party. It added "Party of Democratic Socialism" to its name. In February, it dropped "SED" completely.

The PDS wanted to be a democratic and socialist party. It supported East Germany staying independent. Hans Modrow was their main candidate in the 1990 East German election. But they lost badly, getting only 16.4% of the votes. Other parties did not want to work with the PDS. They still saw it as linked to the old communist government.

After Germany reunited, the PDS got only 2.4% of votes in the 1990 national election. But it grew in popularity in the eastern states during the 1990s. By 1998, it won 5.1% of votes. This was enough to get seats in the Bundestag. In the 2000s, it was the second-largest party in most eastern state parliaments.

However, the PDS had problems. Members disagreed on ideas. Membership numbers kept falling. Also, it had very little support in western Germany. Western Germany had 85% of the country's population. In the 1994 election, other parties tried to scare voters. They warned about a possible "red-red-green" government. This would have included the PDS. This strategy likely helped them win. The PDS turned this around by printing red socks.

Joining Forces: PDS and WASG Unite

In 2005, a new group was formed. It was called Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (WASG). This group was made of unhappy members from another party and trade unionists. They were against the government's welfare reforms. In May, WASG got 2.2% of votes in a state election. This was not enough to win seats.

The PDS leaders suggested joining with WASG. The PDS had support in the east. WASG could grow in the west. They hoped to enter the Bundestag together. They agreed to work as a team. They would not run against each other in elections. They would also have joint lists of candidates. They planned to become one party in 2007. To show this new partnership, the PDS changed its name. It became the Left Party.PDS. The joint list was called The Left.PDS. In western states, "PDS" was sometimes left out. This was because of its link to East Germany.

A big boost came when Oskar Lafontaine joined WASG. He was a former finance minister. He became the party's main candidate for the national election. He shared the spotlight with Gregor Gysi. Early polls showed the new Left list could get up to 12% of the vote. Some thought it might become the third-largest party.

During the election campaign, the party faced criticism. Oskar Lafontaine used a term that was linked to the Nazi era. He said he misspoke. But some writers accused him of trying to appeal to voters who were against foreigners.

In the 2005 national election, The Left.PDS passed the 5% mark easily. It won 8.7% of the vote and 53 seats. It became the fourth-largest party. The election results were unclear. Left-wing parties had a majority together. But the main party, the SPD, did not want to work with The Left.PDS. So, a "grand coalition" was formed between two larger parties.

Forming The Left Party

The PDS and WASG kept talking about joining. They reached a final agreement in March 2007. The new party was named The Left (Die Linke). Its first meeting was in Berlin on 16 June 2007. Lothar Bisky and Oskar Lafontaine were chosen as co-leaders. Gregor Gysi became the leader of the party's group in the Bundestag.

The new party quickly became strong in western Germany for the first time. It won seats in Bremen in 2007. In 2008, it won seats in Lower Saxony, Hesse, and Hamburg. Germany now had a "five-party system" in both east and west.

The party had many successes in 2009. It got 7.5% in the European elections. This showed its popularity across the country. Six state elections were held that year. The party either gained votes or kept its earlier gains. It grew in Thuringia and Hesse. It won seats for the first time in Schleswig-Holstein and Saarland. Oskar Lafontaine led the party in Saarland. They had huge success, getting 21.3% of the vote. In Saxony and Brandenburg, The Left's votes dropped a little. But it stayed the second-largest party in both states.

The 2009 National Election and Beyond

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2009 federal election

In the 2009 national election, the SPD lost many votes. The Left's votes jumped to 11.9%. Its seats in the Bundestag increased from 54 to 76. This was almost half the size of the SPD's group. It became the second most popular party in the eastern states. It also had a breakthrough in the west. The Left won 16 direct election districts. This was the most ever for a smaller party. But The Left remained in opposition.

In May 2010, The Left won seats in North Rhine-Westphalia. This is Germany's most populated state. They now had seats in 13 of Germany's 16 states. They were only missing from three southern states.

In January 2010, Oskar Lafontaine said he would not run for party leadership again. This was because of his cancer treatment. Lothar Bisky also chose not to run again. Klaus Ernst and Gesine Lötzsch became the new leaders.

A few weeks later, other parties asked The Left to support their candidate for president. This was Joachim Gauck. They said it was a chance for The Left to show support for democracy. But the party refused. They pointed out his support for the war in Afghanistan. They also rejected the conservative candidate. Instead, they put forward their own candidate, Luc Jochimsen. Other parties were disappointed. The Left's delegates mostly did not vote in the final round.

The party faced problems from 2011 to 2013. They lost seats in several western states. They failed to win seats in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. They also lost seats in Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.

On 11 April 2012, Gesine Lötzsch resigned as co-leader. She said it was due to her husband's health. Klaus Ernst also said he would not run again. Katja Kipping was elected as co-leader. Bernd Riexinger was elected as the other co-leader.

The 2013 National Election and State Successes

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2013 federal election

In the 2013 national election, The Left got 8.6% of the votes. They won 64 seats. This was fewer than in 2009. But because another party lost many votes, The Left became the third-largest party. After a new government was formed, The Left became the main opposition party.

The party kept its seats in the Hesse state election in 2013. In 2014, The Left lost many votes in Brandenburg. They fell to third place. But they stayed a junior partner in the government.

The 2014 Thuringian state election was a big success. The Left got its best state election result ever (28.2%). They formed the first government with one of their own members as leader. Bodo Ramelow became the head of the Thuringian state government. This was the first time a member of The Left led a German state government.

The Left gained some votes in Hamburg and Bremen in 2015. But they lost many votes in Saxony-Anhalt in 2016. They fell to third place there. In September, The Left joined the government in Berlin. They were the second-largest member of a coalition.

The 2017 National Election and Recent Challenges

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2017 federal election

In the 2017 national election, The Left fell to fifth place. This was because two other parties gained votes. The party lost many votes in its traditional eastern areas. But it gained votes in western states. Overall, it got 9.2% of votes.

In 2017, they did not win back seats in Schleswig-Holstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. The party's votes continued to drop in Saarland. In 2018, they kept their seats in Hesse. Kipping and Riexinger were re-elected as co-leaders for a third time.

The Left had mixed results in 2019. In the European election, their votes dropped to 5.5%. This was their worst result in a national election. In the Bremen state election, they gained a little. They joined a western state government for the first time. The Left lost almost half its votes in Brandenburg and Saxony state elections. They left the Brandenburg government.

In the 2019 Thuringian state election, Ramelow led the party to its best result ever (31.0%). They became the largest party in a state parliament for the first time. But their government lost its majority. In February 2020, another party's leader was elected head of government. But he resigned quickly due to public anger. After a long crisis, Ramelow was re-elected to lead a minority government.

In August 2020, Kipping and Riexinger announced they would step down. This was because of party rules about how long leaders can serve. A party meeting was planned for October 2020. But it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, a digital meeting was held in February 2021. Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow were elected as new co-chairs.

The 2021 National Election and Party Split

In the 2021 national election, The Left hoped to join a government with other parties. As the election got closer, some tried to scare voters. They warned about The Left's ideas. The Left had chosen new, more moderate leaders. They also had a more moderate plan.

The Left won 4.9% of votes and 39 seats in the 2021 election. This was their worst result since the party started. They just missed the 5% rule to get seats. But they still got seats because they won three direct election districts. This meant they lost many votes and 30 seats overall. Because of The Left's poor results, the left-wing parties did not get enough seats to form a majority government.

State elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were held on the same day. The Left lost some votes in both. But they still joined coalition governments in both states.

After the national election, The Left faced internal problems. Its popularity continued to drop. A big loss came in the March 2022 Saarland state election. The party lost all its seats there. This happened during a conflict between the state leaders and Oskar Lafontaine. He left the party before the election. There were also reports of sexism and abuse in the Hesse branch. In April, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow resigned as co-leader. She said it was because of the party's problems and to spend time with family. More losses came in state elections in May.

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine caused more disagreements in the party. The leaders and most members supported Ukraine. But a group led by Sahra Wagenknecht was against sanctions on Russia. At the party meeting in June, Janine Wissler was re-elected as leader. Martin Schirdewan was elected as the new co-leader.

In September, Wagenknecht criticized the government. She called it an "economic war" against Russia. She asked for an end to sanctions. Half of The Left's members in the Bundestag did not attend her speech. Many called for her to resign. Hundreds of members left the party. Some news reported that Wagenknecht's supporters were planning a new party.

In the 2023 Berlin state election, The Left lost two seats. In the 2023 Bremen state election, they kept their 10 seats. But in the 2023 Hesse state election, The Left lost all its 9 seats. They got only 3.1% of the vote. This was below the 5% needed to get seats.

In October 2023, Wagenknecht and nine other Bundestag members left The Left. They announced they would start the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. This meant The Left had too few members to be an official group in the Bundestag. Their group was officially dissolved on 6 December. In February, it was reorganized as a group with less power. New co-leaders were chosen for this group.

What The Left Believes In

Economic Ideas

The Left wants the government to spend more money. This would be for public projects, education, and research. They also want to increase taxes for big companies. They want higher taxes on inherited money. They also want to bring back a tax on very wealthy people.

The party wants to make income taxes fairer. This would mean lower taxes for people with lower incomes. But it would mean higher taxes for middle and high incomes. The Left believes that tax loopholes mostly help rich people. They want to close these loopholes. The party also wants more government rules for financial markets. This is to stop risky investing.

The party wants to make rules against monopolies stronger. They want to help cooperatives. These are businesses owned by their workers or customers. They want to stop fracking. They are against selling off public services to private companies. They also want a national minimum wage. The party wants to change how wealth and power are structured.

Foreign Policy Ideas

When it comes to other countries, The Left wants countries to get rid of their weapons. They do not want German soldiers to be involved in conflicts outside Germany. The party wants U.S. troops to leave Germany. They also want to replace NATO with a new security system. This system would include Russia.

They believe Germany's foreign policy should focus on talking and working together. It should not be about fighting. But they also know these are long-term goals. They are not strict rules for joining a government.

In their party plan, they say: "All support for NATO countries that ignore international law must stop." They criticized Germany's defense plan with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been involved in a war and accused of human rights problems. The Left supports cancelling debts for developing countries. They want to increase aid to these countries. They want to work with the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and World Bank. The party supports changing the United Nations. They want it to be fair to both rich and developing countries. The Left wants all American military bases in Germany to be closed. They also want this for bases in the European Union.

The Left supports European cooperation. But they are against what they see as unfair economic policies in the European Union. The party wants EU organizations to be more democratic. They want the United Nations to have a stronger role in world politics. The Left was against the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.

The party has mixed views on the Russo-Ukrainian War. Some leaders have called Russia's actions illegal. But some older members have strong feelings for Russia and the Soviet Union. The party said in 2014 that Ukraine should not get support from Germany if there were fascists in its government. Some members support the self-declared republics in eastern Ukraine. The party also has a friendly view towards China.

How The Left Is Organized

Janine Wissler (left) and Martin Schirdewan at the 2022 federal party conference

The 2022 party conference

The Left has branches in all 16 German states. It also has smaller local branches. These are usually in districts, cities, or boroughs. The smallest groups are called grassroots organizations. These can be in a neighborhood or a whole district. The party has a youth group called Left Youth Solid. It also has a student group called The Left.SDS. The party works with several left-wing research groups. The most famous is the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

The party is led by a 26-member committee. Seven of these members are part of the party's main leadership. This includes two federal co-chairpersons. At least one must be female. Also, one leader usually comes from the eastern states and one from the west. This is a tradition, not a rule. This committee is chosen at a party meeting. This meeting also decides the party's plans and rules. The leaders of the party's group in the Bundestag are also very powerful. Sometimes, there are disagreements between the party leaders and the Bundestag group.

The Left has a special system of internal groups, called factions. These are even written in the party's rules. Groups with enough members can send representatives to party meetings. The party has groups that want reforms. It also has groups that stick to older, more traditional ideas.

Since June 2022, the Party Executive Committee includes:

The Council of Elders (Ältestenrat) gives advice to the party. It was formed in December 2007. Its current members include:

Party Leaders Over Time

Federal chairpersons			Term start	Term end
	Lothar Bisky	Oskar Lafontaine	16 June 2007 (2007-06-16)	15 May 2010 (2010-05-15)
	Gesine Lötzsch	Klaus Ernst	15 May 2010 (2010-05-15)	2 June 2012 (2012-06-02)
	Katja Kipping	Bernd Riexinger	2 June 2012 (2012-06-02)	27 February 2021 (2021-02-27)
	Susanne Hennig-Wellsow	Janine Wissler	27 February 2021 (2021-02-27)	20 April 2022 (2022-04-20)
	Vacant		20 April 2022 (2022-04-20)	25 June 2022 (2022-06-25)
	Martin Schirdewan		25 June 2022 (2022-06-25)	Incumbent

Bundestag chairpersons			Term start	Term end
	Gregor Gysi	Oskar Lafontaine	18 October 2005 (2005-10-18)	27 October 2009 (2009-10-27)
	Gregor Gysi		27 October 2009 (2009-10-27)	13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)
	Dietmar Bartsch	Sahra Wagenknecht	13 October 2015 (2015-10-13)	12 November 2019 (2019-11-12)
		Amira Mohamed Ali	12 November 2019 (2019-11-12)	6 December 2023 (2023-12-06)
Faction dissolved – reduced to group status
	Heidi Reichinnek	Sören Pellmann	19 February 2024 (2024-02-19)	Incumbent

State Branches and Leaders

The party has branches in all 16 states. Here are the leaders and members for each state as of December 2022:

State	Leader(s)	Members
Baden-Württemberg	Sahra Mirow [de] Elwis Capece	3,749
Bavaria	Kathrin Flach-Gomez Adelheid Rupp [de]	3,058
Berlin	Franziska Brychcy [de] Maximilian Schirmer [de]	7,100
Brandenburg	Katharina Slanina [de] Sebastian Walter [de]	4,534
Bremen	Anna Fischer Christoph Spehr [de]	667
Hamburg	Sabine Ritter [de] Thomas Iwan [de]	1,711
Hesse	Christiane Böhm [de] Jakob Migenda	3,079
Lower Saxony	Franziska Junker Thorben Peters	2,919
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Peter Ritter [arz; de] Vanessa Müller [de]	2,766
North Rhine-Westphalia	Kathrin Vogler Sascha H. Wagner	7,764
Rhineland-Palatinate	Stefan Glander	1,478
Saarland	Barbara Spaniol	1,426
Saxony	Susanne Schaper [de] Stefan Hartmann	6,559
Saxony-Anhalt	Janina Böttger Hendrik Lange [de]	2,833
Schleswig-Holstein	Susanne Spethmann Luca Grimminger	1,093
Thuringia	Ulrike Grosse-Röthig [de] Christian Schaft [de]	3,478
Total		54,214

Internal Groups and Ideas

The Left is known for having many different groups inside it. These groups are called factions. They are even written into the party's rules. Factions with enough members can send people to party meetings. The party has groups that want to change things. These are called reformist factions. It also has groups that stick to older, more traditional ideas. These are called orthodox factions.

However, since 2015, the party has changed. This was due to Sahra Wagenknecht. She wanted the party to focus more on working-class people. She also wanted more populist ideas. In response, many reformers and radical left groups joined together. They formed the "Movement Left." This group supports social movements and environmentalism. The Movement Left now mostly controls the party.

Here are some of the main groups within The Left:

Who Joins The Left and Who Votes for Them

Studies show that in 2021, 17% of The Left's members were blue-collar workers. 32% were white-collar workers. 35% were civil servants, and 10% were self-employed. 51% of members had a university degree. 33% were part of trade unions. Before joining with WASG, the PDS voters were a mix of people. But The Left now has more support from working-class and poorer voters.

Since the mid-2010s, the party has become popular with young people. In 1990, 68% of PDS members were over 60. Only 4% were under 30. By 2021, these numbers changed. 40% were over 60, and 23% were under 30. The Left now has a similar number of members under 30 as another party, the FDP. Two-thirds of new members between 2016 and 2018 were under 35. In the 2021 election, The Left was twice as popular with voters under 25 than with those over 70.

The PDS started with 170,000 members in 1990. But its numbers kept falling until it joined WASG. When The Left was formed, it had 71,000 members. About 11,500 of these were from WASG. The party grew for the next two years. It reached 78,000 members in 2009. After that, numbers started to fall again. In 2016, it had 59,000 members. This trend changed after the 2017 election. The party gained several thousand new members. It had 62,300 members in 2019. However, membership dropped again to 60,350 in December 2020.

Where The Left's Support Comes From

Results for the second votes by constituency in the 2017 federal election

Most of The Left's supporters and members live in the eastern states. These are the states that used to be East Germany. The PDS's voters were almost all in the east. When The Left was formed, most of its western members came from WASG. But the party has grown in the west since then. In 2005, only 45.5% of The Left.PDS's votes came from western states. This grew to 57.7% in 2009 and 65.4% in 2017. Between 2016 and 2018, 72% of new members were from western states. 15% were from the east, and 13% from Berlin. During this time, the number of members in the west was higher than in the east for the first time. In 2021, 50% of The Left's members were from the west. 37% were from the east, and 13% from Berlin.

However, at the state level, the party has lost power in the west. This happened after some early successes from 2007 to 2010. Since 2010, it has lost seats in the state parliaments of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein. The party's growing popularity in the west has been balanced by big losses in most of its eastern strongholds since 2014.

The Left's voters are very different depending on the region. In the east, Left voters and members are much older. For example, in 2018, 44% of the party's members in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were 76 or older. In the west, most party members are men. Two-thirds of western members are male.

Women in The Left Party

Many women have been elected as representatives for The Left. The party has a rule about gender. It requires that at least half of its ruling bodies and representatives must be female. In 2021, the party elected two women as federal co-chairs for the first time.

The number of female members in the PDS was about 45% in the 1990s and 2000s. This was much higher than any other party. But it fell to 39% after the merger in 2007. This was because most WASG members were male. Still, the party had the highest number of women members until 2012. Then, the Greens party had more. In 2021, 37% of Left members were female. This compares to 42% for the Greens and 33% for the SPD. After the 2009 election, 52.6% of the party's Bundestag group were women. This was second only to the Greens. In 2013, this increased to 54.7%. This was the highest of any group. After both the 2017 and 2021 national elections, 54% of The Left's group were women. This was second to the Greens.

Election Results: How The Left Has Performed

National Parliament (Bundestag)

Election	Constituency		Party list		Seats	+/–	Status
	Votes	%	Votes	%
2009	4,791,124	11.1 (#3)	5,155,933	11.9 (#4)	76 / 622	22	Opposition
2013	3,585,178	8.2 (#3)	3,755,699	8.6 (#3)	64 / 631	12	Opposition
2017	3,966,035	8.6 (#4)	4,296,762	9.2 (#5)	69 / 709	5	Opposition
2021	2,306,755	5.0 (#7)	2,269,993	4.9 (#7)	39 / 735	30	Opposition

European Parliament

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
2009	1,968,325	7.5 (#5)	8 / 99	1
2014	2,167,641	7.4 (#4)	7 / 96	1
2019	2,056,010	5.5 (#5)	5 / 96	2

State Parliaments (Länder)

State parliament	Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Status
Baden-Württemberg	2021	173,295	3.6 (#6)	0 / 154	0	No seats
Bavaria	2023	200,795	1.5 (#7)	0 / 203	0	No seats
Berlin	2023	184,954	12.2 (#4)	22 / 147	2	Opposition
Brandenburg	2019	135,558	10.7 (#5)	10 / 88	7	Opposition
Bremen	2023	137,676	10.9 (#4)	10 / 87	0	SPD–Greens–Left
Hamburg	2020	364,102	9.1 (#4)	13 / 123	2	Opposition
Hesse	2023	86,821	3.1 (#7)	0 / 133	9	No seats
Lower Saxony	2022	98,585	2.7 (#6)	0 / 146	0	No seats
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	2021	90,865	9.9 (#4)	9 / 79	2	SPD–Left
North Rhine-Westphalia	2022	146,634	2.1 (#6)	0 / 195	0	No seats
Rhineland-Palatinate	2021	48,210	2.5 (#7)	0 / 101	0	No seats
Saarland	2022	11,689	2.6 (#6)	0 / 51	7	No seats
Saxony	2019	224,354	10.4 (#3)	14 / 119	13	Opposition
Saxony-Anhalt	2021	116,927	11.0 (#3)	12 / 97	4	Opposition
Schleswig-Holstein	2022	23,035	1.7 (#7)	0 / 69	0	No seats
Thuringia	2019	343,736	31.0 (#1)	29 / 90	1	Left–SPD–Greens

State Results Timeline

State parliaments

Baden-Württemberg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2011 139,700 2.8 0 / 138 0 2016 156,211 2.9 0 / 138 0 2021 173,317 3.6 0 / 138 0

Bavaria Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 461,755 4.4 0 / 187 0 2013 251,097 2.1 0 / 180 0 2018 435,949 3.2 0 / 205 0

Berlin Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 225,689 16.3 23 / 141 10 2011 170,829 11.6 20 / 152 3 2016 255,740 15.6 27 / 160 7 2021 255,231 14.0 26 / 160 1

Brandenburg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 377,084 27.2 26 / 88 3 2014 183,172 18.6 17 / 88 9 2019 135,572 10.7 10 / 88 7

Bremen Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2007 23,282 8.4 7 / 83 7 2011 73,769 5.6 5 / 83 2 2015 115,385 9.5 8 / 83 3 2019 166,378 11.3 10 / 84 2

Hamburg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 50,173 6.4 8 / 121 8 2011 220,428* 6.4 8 / 121 0 2015 300,567* 8.5 11 / 121 3 2020 364,102* 9.1 12 / 121 1 *) five votes per voter

Hesse Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 140,769 5.1 6 / 110 6 2009 139,074 5.4 6 / 118 0 2013 161,488 5.2 6 / 110 0 2018 181,263 6.3 9 / 137 3

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 141,534 17.3 13 / 71 0 2011 125,528 18.4 14 / 71 1 2016 106,259 13.2 11 / 71 3 2021 90,865 9.9 9 / 79 2

Lower Saxony Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 243,361 7.1 11 / 152 11 2013 110,525 3.1 0 / 137 11 2017 177,118 4.6 0 / 137 0

North Rhine-Westphalia Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2005 254,977 3.1 0 / 187 0 2010 435,627 5.6 11 / 181 11 2012 194,428 2.5 0 / 237 11 2017 415,936 4.9 0 / 199 0

Rhineland-Palatinate Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 44,826 2.6 0 / 101 0 2011 56,054 3.0 0 / 101 0 2016 60,074 2.8 0 / 138 0 2021 48,210 2.5 0 / 138 0

Saarland Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 113,660 21.5 11 / 51 11 2012 77,612 16.1 9 / 51 2 2017 68,566 12.9 7 / 51 2 2022 11,689 2.6 0 / 51 7

Saxony Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 370,359 20.6 29 / 132 2 2014 309,568 18.9 27 / 126 2 2019 224,411 10.4 14 / 119 13

Saxony-Anhalt Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 217,295 24.1 26 / 97 1 2011 235,011 23.7 29 / 105 3 2016 183,296 16.3 16 / 87 13 2021 116,927 11.0 12 / 97 4

Schleswig-Holstein Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 95,764 6.0 6 / 95 6 2012 29,900 2.2 0 / 69 6 2017 55,833 3.8 0 / 73 0

Thuringia Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 288,932 27.4 27 / 88 1 2014 265,425 28.2 28 / 91 1 2019 343,738 31.0 29 / 90 1

Results Timeline

Party	Year	DE	EU		BW	BY	BE	BB	HB	HH	HE	NI	MV	NW	RP	SL	SN	ST	SH	TH
PDS	1990	2.4					9.2	13.4					15.7				10.2	12.0		9.7
	1991
	1992
	1993
	1994	4.4	4.7					18.7					22.7				16.5	19.9		16.6
	1995						14.6		2.4
	1996
	1997									0.7
	1998	5.1										0.2	24.4					19.6
	1999		5.8				17.7	23.3	2.9							0.8	22.2			21.3
	2000													1.1					1.4
	2001						22.6			0.4					0.0
	2002	4.0											16.4					20.4
	2003								1.7			0.4
	2004		6.1					28.0								2.3	23.6			26.1
The Left.PDS & WASG	2005	8.7												3.1					0.5
	2006				3.1		13.4						16.8		2.7			24.1
The Left	2007								8.4
	2008					4.4				6.4	5.1	7.1
	2009	11.9	7.5					27.2			5.4					21.3	20.6		6.0	27.4
	2010													5.6
	2011				2.8		11.6		5.6	6.4			18.4		3.0			23.7
	2012													2.5		16.1			2.3
	2013	8.6				2.1					5.2	3.1
	2014		7.4					18.6									18.9			28.2
	2015								9.5	8.5
	2016				2.9		15.6						13.2		2.8			16.3
	2017	9.2										4.6		4.9		12.8			3.8
	2018					3.2					6.3
	2019		5.5					10.7	11.3								10.4			31.0
	2020									9.1
	2021	4.9			3.6		14.0						9.9		2.5			11.0
	2022											2.7		2.1		2.6			1.7
Party	Year	DE	EU		BW	BY	BE	BB	HB	HH	HE	NI	MV	NW	RP	SL	SN	ST	SH	TH
Bold indicates best result to date.      Present in legislature (in opposition)      Junior coalition partner      Senior coalition partner

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State parliaments

Baden-Württemberg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2011 139,700 2.8 0 / 138 0 2016 156,211 2.9 0 / 138 0 2021 173,317 3.6 0 / 138 0

Bavaria Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 461,755 4.4 0 / 187 0 2013 251,097 2.1 0 / 180 0 2018 435,949 3.2 0 / 205 0

Berlin Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 225,689 16.3 23 / 141 10 2011 170,829 11.6 20 / 152 3 2016 255,740 15.6 27 / 160 7 2021 255,231 14.0 26 / 160 1

Brandenburg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 377,084 27.2 26 / 88 3 2014 183,172 18.6 17 / 88 9 2019 135,572 10.7 10 / 88 7

Bremen Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2007 23,282 8.4 7 / 83 7 2011 73,769 5.6 5 / 83 2 2015 115,385 9.5 8 / 83 3 2019 166,378 11.3 10 / 84 2

Hamburg Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 50,173 6.4 8 / 121 8 2011 220,428* 6.4 8 / 121 0 2015 300,567* 8.5 11 / 121 3 2020 364,102* 9.1 12 / 121 1 *) five votes per voter

Hesse Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 140,769 5.1 6 / 110 6 2009 139,074 5.4 6 / 118 0 2013 161,488 5.2 6 / 110 0 2018 181,263 6.3 9 / 137 3

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 141,534 17.3 13 / 71 0 2011 125,528 18.4 14 / 71 1 2016 106,259 13.2 11 / 71 3 2021 90,865 9.9 9 / 79 2

Lower Saxony Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2008 243,361 7.1 11 / 152 11 2013 110,525 3.1 0 / 137 11 2017 177,118 4.6 0 / 137 0

North Rhine-Westphalia Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2005 254,977 3.1 0 / 187 0 2010 435,627 5.6 11 / 181 11 2012 194,428 2.5 0 / 237 11 2017 415,936 4.9 0 / 199 0

Rhineland-Palatinate Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 44,826 2.6 0 / 101 0 2011 56,054 3.0 0 / 101 0 2016 60,074 2.8 0 / 138 0 2021 48,210 2.5 0 / 138 0

Saarland Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 113,660 21.5 11 / 51 11 2012 77,612 16.1 9 / 51 2 2017 68,566 12.9 7 / 51 2 2022 11,689 2.6 0 / 51 7

Saxony Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 370,359 20.6 29 / 132 2 2014 309,568 18.9 27 / 126 2 2019 224,411 10.4 14 / 119 13

Saxony-Anhalt Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2006 217,295 24.1 26 / 97 1 2011 235,011 23.7 29 / 105 3 2016 183,296 16.3 16 / 87 13 2021 116,927 11.0 12 / 97 4

Schleswig-Holstein Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 95,764 6.0 6 / 95 6 2012 29,900 2.2 0 / 69 6 2017 55,833 3.8 0 / 73 0

Thuringia Election Votes  % Seats +/− 2009 288,932 27.4 27 / 88 1 2014 265,425 28.2 28 / 91 1 2019 343,738 31.0 29 / 90 1

See also

• List of political parties in Germany
• The Ministry for State Security (Stasi)
• Communist Party of Germany
• Merger of the KPD and SPD