The Left Party and the 2021 Bundestag Election

In this AGI webinar Jonathan Olsen, Gabriele Zimmer, and Barbara Donovan examine regional and national support for the Left Party, internal dynamics within the party, and the possibilities for leftist coalitions in the next government.

Despite periodic predictions of its demise, the Left Party has become a stalwart player in Germany’s increasingly fragmented party system, especially in the eastern states. Currently, polling a little below its 2017 Bundestag election result of 9.2 percent, it is a near-certainty that it will once again be represented in the national parliament. Moreover, it is no longer outside of the realm of possibility that the Left will enter a federal coalition with the Greens and SPD. But challenges persist, including two new and relatively unknown leaders, low levels of support in many western states, and the general weakness of leftist parties across Europe. This webinar will look at the Left Party from both German and European perspectives as the September election approaches.

Speakers:
Jonathan Olsen, Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science, Texas Woman’s University
Gabriele Zimmer, former Leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism, Member of the Thuringian Landtag, and Member of the European Parliament
Moderated by Barbara Donovan, Professor of Political Science, Wesleyan College

This webinar is supported by the AGI Harry & Helen Gray Culture and Politics Program and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is presented in partnership with The Aston Centre for Europe, Aston University, Birmingham, UK; the International Association for the Study of German Politics; and the BMW Center for German and European Studies, Georgetown University.