Leaders of Germany’s Left Party say they will not stand again

The leaders of Germany’s Left Party, Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan, will not run for office again at the party conference in October, they said in statements published on the party’s website on Sunday.

The step comes after a series of election defeats and growing criticism of the two leaders.

The far-left party has been struggling since the departure of a prominent former member and the subsequent haemorrhaging of support.

On Saturday, the party’s leadership said it was fighting for survival.

“I realize that there is a desire in parts of the party for a fresh start in terms of personnel,” Wissler said in her statement. “I think now is the right time to create clarity, two months before the party conference, so that the party has enough time for a transparent process and to form an opinion on candidates within the party.”

Wissler and Schirdewan have led the Left Party together since 2022.