Description

Die Linke, also known as the Left Party, is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative. Through the PDS, the party is the direct descendant of the Marxist–Leninist ruling party of former East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). Since October 2024, The Left's co-chairpersons have been Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken. The party holds 64 seats out of 630 in the German federal parliament, having won 8.8% of votes cast in the 2025 German federal election. Its parliamentary group is the smallest of five in the Bundestag, and is headed by parliamentary co-leaders Heidi Reichinnek and Sören Pellmann.