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New Leftist Group to Found Party

December 21, 2004
https://p.dw.com/p/61KY

A left-leaning political group recently established by trade unionists and disenchanted Social Democrats plans to found a party and field candidates in German regional and national elections. Board member Thomas Händel from "Election Union 'Work & Social Justice'" said the group had voted to establish the party at a founding congress in early May, in time for May 22 state parliamentary elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The group's board criticized the "neo-liberal consensus" on the part of the ruling Social Democrats and Greens as well as the opposition Christian Democrats and Free Democrats, which it said was directed against the majority of the population. They said they expect to win seats in Germany's federal parliament in the 2006 election. According to election researchers a new leftist party would rally less than 10 percent of the vote in Germany, and possibly cost the Social Democrats crucial support.