Germany's crisis-hit far-left party seeks new leadership

Frankfurt, Germany: Germany s far left Linke party said Sunday it would replace its leadership duo later this year as it battles to overcome an exist...

Frankfurt, Germany: Germany's far-left Linke party said Sunday it would replace its leadership duo later this year as it battles to overcome an "existential" crisis following a series of setbacks.

Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan announced in a statement they would not be running for another stint as co-leaders at the Linke's party congress in October.

"I realise there is a desire in parts of the party for a fresh start in terms of personnel," said Wissler.

Their decision to step down comes after the Linke, which has its roots in both East German communism and the West German labour movement, fell below three percent in the June European Parliament elections.

The Linke, having narrowly scraped into the German parliament in the 2021 elections, has long been riven by internal strife.