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Party leftist Matthias Miersch: He successfully defied the revolution
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The revolution in the SPD party left has been canceled. On Tuesday afternoon, the 90 members of the “Parliamentary Left” (PL) in the Bundestag faction elected their new board. Several MPs surprisingly announced at the weekend that they wanted to run for the board - and thus challenge the previous speakers. Now the MPs withdrew their candidacies at short notice.
Matthias Miersch and Wiebke Esdar remain the PL spokespersons. The previous speaker Sönke Rix no longer stood for election; Tim Klüssendorf replaced him on the board. The MP Elisabeth Kaiser remains treasurer.
After the candidacies were announced at the weekend, there was talk of an attack on Miersch. Dissatisfaction with the course of the deputy group leader has increased significantly, it was said on the left of the party. While the conservative “Seeheimer Circle” is aggressively promoting its new strength, the PL has shrunk. Some also see the blame for this on the board of the PL, which is not combative enough.
According to SPIEGEL information, in the election on Tuesday, Miersch was confirmed in his office with 75 of 77 votes cast. The attackers were promised an additional place on the extended board of the PL in return for withdrawing their candidacies. This prevented an open fight.
“The current political situation is characterized by crises,” Miersch explained after the election. »Our claim as the left is not to give in to this change, but rather to actively shape it in a social and people-oriented manner. The PL will continue to be a strong voice for this.«
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