Germany edition

Left_party

The following articles have been tagged with "Left_party":

Wulff faces new claims of improprieties

Politics: 1 Feb 12
German President Christian Wulff's office was aware of alleged improprieties by his former spokesman as early as 2010, a magazine reported on Wednesday as pressure increased on the embattled head of state. READ »

Robust economy leaves long-term jobless behind

Business & Money: 31 Jan 12
Long-term unemployed people are still having difficulty finding a job despite Germany’s robust economy in recent years, according to a media report on Tuesday. READ »

Liberal party support 'too small for statistics'

Politics: 28 Jan 12
Angela Merkel’s junior coalition party, the Free Democratic Party, is doing so badly in opinion polls that some questions cannot be answered with any statistical validity. READ »

Leftists suggest legal cannabis clubs

Politics: 25 Jan 12
Germany’s socialist Left party is calling an expert hearing on “legalizing cannabis through the introduction of cannabis clubs” in the German parliament on Wednesday. The idea has met widespread rejection. READ »

Spying on leftist MPs condemned

Politics: 24 Jan 12
Politicians from across Germany’s main political parties have condemned the domestic intelligence agency, or Verfassungsschutz, for spying on parliamentarians from the socialist Left party. READ »

Art listing Hitler as 'freely elected' attacked

Politics: 2 Jan 12
A work of art in the Reichstag building which includes Adolf Hitler in a list of “freely and democratically” elected members of the German parliament has been repaired after someone attacked it. READ »

Drunk neo-Nazi fined €600 for Hitler salute

Society: 24 Dec 11
A drunken neo-Nazi in the central German town of Kassel fell foul of Germany's law forbidding the Nazi salute this week. READ »

Islamic studies gain foothold in state schools

Education: 22 Dec 11
German Education officials are making moves to establish Islamic studies as a regular subject in North Rhine-Westphalia's public schools, in line with other religious courses about Catholic or Protestant Christianity. READ »

Most Germans won't go to church this Christmas

Society: 18 Dec 11
Most Germans do not plan to go to church over the Christmas holidays, a poll from TNS-Emnid research institute, conducted for the news magazine Focus showed. READ »

Leftists wants police pepper spray ban

Society: 16 Dec 11
The socialist Left party is trying to ban police in North Rhine-Westphalia from using pepper spray in what could be a precursor to attempts to forbid its use by cops nationwide. READ »

Life expectancy sinks for poorer Germans

Society: 12 Dec 11
Though the German population is steadily getting older, it is leaving its low income earners behind. A new report says their life expectancy has gone down two whole years since 2001. READ »

Pirates say 'Arrgh' as support dwindles

Politics: 7 Dec 11
Germany’s upstart Pirate Party seems to be losing the wind from its sails – the latest political opinion poll suggests it is supported by just six percent of voters – down from nine percent a few weeks ago. READ »

800 weapons taken from neo-Nazis in two years

National: 30 Nov 11
Authorities have confiscated more than 800 weapons from right-wing extremists over the last two years, including handguns and knives, plus a few larger weapons, according to the German government. READ »

Pope sued for not wearing seat belt

Society: 26 Nov 11
A man from Dortmund has filed a complaint against Pope Benedikt XVI for not wearing a seat belt in his "Popemobile" during his last trip to Germany. READ »

City of Berlin gets 'grand coalition' government

Politics: 16 Nov 11
A left-right coalition is taking shape in the city state of Berlin, after the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats agreed to form a government in Germany's capital on Wednesday. READ »

Former Left head Lafontaine admits relationship

National: 13 Nov 11
The former head of the socialist Left Party Oskar Lafontaine has confirmed that he is in a relationship with Sahra Wagenknecht, a prominent representative of the left-wing of the party. READ »

Afghanistan to see German troop drawdown

National: 11 Nov 11
The German government plans to reduce the number of Bundeswehr soldiers deployed in Afghanistan by 1,000 in the coming year, according to a letter sent to Bundestag parliamentarians by the Foreign and Defence ministries. READ »

Effort to ease dual citizenship fails

National: 10 Nov 11
Germany's left-wing opposition failed on Thursday to convince parliament that children born to foreign parents should be able to keep dual citizenship beyond 23, after Chancellor Merkel's centre-right coalition torpedoed the measure. READ »

Dead neo-Nazi robbers linked to cop-killer case

National: 8 Nov 11
German authorities say they are confident they have solved the 2007 murder of a police woman after her pistol was found near the bodies of two neo-Nazi bank robbers. Their accomplice turned herself in on Tuesday. READ »

Merkel to push for minimum wage

Politics: 30 Oct 11
Chancellor Angela Merkel is looking to introduce a “market-based organised lower limit for wages” of at least €6.90 an hour – although her party has always been against a minimum wage. READ »

Bundestag backs Merkel ahead of euro summit

Politics: 26 Oct 11
The Bundestag has thrown its support behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plan to strengthen the eurozone's €440-billion fund as she heads to Brussels for a crunch EU summit on Europe's sovereign debt crisis. READ »

Left party wants to legalise 'all drugs'

Politics: 22 Oct 11
The Left party has voted to support the "long-term legalisation of all drugs" in its first official policy programme, which members were considering on Saturday during a party congress. READ »

Opposition vents fury over new EFSF extension

National: 19 Oct 11
German opposition parties have demanded another parliamentary vote following reports that the French and German governments are planning to expand the eurozone financial safety net even further. READ »

Right wing group tricks state into selling manor

Society: 18 Oct 11
A person suspected of being associated with an alleged neo-Nazi group has bought a manor from the state of Thuringia, apparently breaking rules on selling state property to extremists. READ »

Anti-capitalist protesters set up tent cities

National: 17 Oct 11
As demonstrations critical of capitalism sweep through Germany, activists have set up tent-cities in Frankfurt and Hamburg, vowing to stay as long as they can. READ »

Bundestag disinvites 100 wheelchair users

Society: 15 Oct 11
A historic disabled people's conference planned for December turned into embarrassment for the German parliament on Friday when it was forced to cancel the event because too many wheelchair users registered. READ »

Sliding towards terrorism

Analysis & Opinion: 11 Oct 11
The leftist extremists claiming responsibility for arson attacks on Germany's rail system this week said they do not want to hurt anyone, but it’s only a matter of time until they do, comments Gerd Nowakowski from Der Tagesspiegel. READ »

Berlin considers banning Hells Angels

Society: 11 Oct 11
Representatives across all major parties in the newly-elected state parliament of Berlin have spoken out in favour of banning the Hells Angels, a motorcycle gang linked with organized crime, in the German capital. READ »

SPD and Greens drop Berlin government talks

Politics: 5 Oct 11
Talks between the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens on forming a coalition to govern Berlin collapsed on Wednesday – over disagreement over a three-kilometre stretch of motorway. READ »

Linke split by rumours of a Lafontaine return

Politics: 5 Oct 11
The socialist Left party (Linke) is being wracked by speculation that former leader and one-time Finance Minister Oskar Lafontaine could return to the top ranks of the party. READ »

'Where's the money?'

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Sep 11
Following the Bundestag’s vote on Thursday to expand the eurozone bailout fund, The Local hit the streets to find out what the average German makes of it all, in the latest instalment of our new Zeitgeist series. READ »

Survey shows Pirates sailing full speed ahead

Politics: 28 Sep 11
After their surprise success in Berlin’s state election, Germany’s Pirate Party has started to navigate national interest as well. According to a survey published Wednesday, the Pirates have captured seven percent of the electorate. READ »

SPD and Greens see coalition hope in Berlin

Politics: 24 Sep 11
Nearly a week after the Berlin state election and hours of talks, all the indications point towards the incumbent Social Democrats (SPD) forming a coalition with the Greens. READ »

Most Germans oppose increased euro bail-out

Business & Money: 23 Sep 11
As their politicians prepare for next Thursday’s parliamentary vote on extending the euro rescue fund, a survey has found that a clear majority of Germans do not want them to decide in favour. READ »

Pope says Europe risking its cultural identity

National: 22 Sep 11
Pope Benedict XVI warned on Thursday Europe risked losing its cultural identity at a time when it was being challenged by foreign extremism, in a landmark yet controversial speech to the German parliament. READ »

Hundreds of Berlin votes found in a bin

Politics: 22 Sep 11
Hundreds of postal votes for last Sunday’s Berlin state election have been found in a bin – and are now being opened and counted, while criminal police start an investigation. READ »

Berlin goes to the polls

Politics: 18 Sep 11
Voting began in Berlin on Sunday for a state election expected to yield yet another setback for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her governing coalition. READ »

Berliners look leftwards as Pirates set sail

Politics: 16 Sep 11
Berliners go to the polls on Sunday, with indications they will re-elect Social Democratic Mayor Klaus Wowereit yet force him to ditch coalition partners The Left for the Greens. The Pirate Party might also sail into parliament. READ »

Social Democrats gain support amid euro crisis

Politics: 14 Sep 11
Popular support for the Social Democratic Party is at its highest level since 2008, reaching 29 percent, according to the latest Stern-RTL survey. READ »

The morality of pope bashing

Analysis & Opinion: 13 Sep 11
Members of The Left party are boycotting the pope's speech to the German parliament during an official visit to Berlin. For Malte Lehming, leftist attitudes toward Catholicism are no different from right-wing populist bigotry against Islam. READ »

MPs to boycott Pope's Bundestag speech

National: 13 Sep 11
As preparations are finalised for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Germany at the end of the month, a number of MPs have declared they will boycott his speech to parliament. READ »

'Something is deeply wrong when the NPD is more successful than the FDP'

Analysis & Opinion: 5 Sep 11
Is Chancellor Merkel’s centre-right alliance heading towards political oblivion? Commentators in The Local’s media roundup examine the impact of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania vote. READ »

SPD wins Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania vote

Politics: 4 Sep 11
The governing centre-left Social Democrats on Sunday trounced Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in her home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The SPD now has a choice of coalition partners. READ »

Northeastern state election gets underway

Politics: 4 Sep 11
Voters go to the polls in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's home state Sunday, with surveys showing her conservatives are likely to cling on to power after a campaign dominated by the euro debt crisis. READ »

More pensioners working low-paid jobs to get by

Business & Money: 22 Aug 11
An increasing number of German pensioners are being forced to work low-paid mini-jobs or apply for special supplemental aid from the government in order to make ends meet, statistics show. READ »

Left deputy leader wants to expel Wall apologists

Politics: 20 Aug 11
Dietmar Bartsch, deputy leader of the Left party's parliamentary faction, has rounded on MPs in a regional parliament who refused to observe a minute's silence for those who died trying to escape over the Berlin Wall. READ »

Social Democrats warn leftists after Wall praise

Politics: 16 Aug 11
Germany's centre-left Social Democrats have warned members of the hard-line socialist Left party they would be rejected as state coalition partners unless they condemn the building of the Berlin Wall. READ »

Swiss banks pay €1.9bn to German taxman

Business & Money: 10 Aug 11
Swiss banks will pay nearly €2 billion to German tax authorities under a deal reached Wednesday between Bern and Berlin to end a long-standing tax evasion and banking secrecy dispute. READ »

Berlin tries to preserve remaining traces of the Wall

Society: 9 Aug 11
Fifty years after its loathed Wall went up, Berlin has been gripped by a desire to preserve the few remaining traces of its painful division in order to bring the dark chapter of its history to life for visitors. AFP's Laurent Geslin reports. READ »

CSU flags Left party ban, sparking war of words

Politics: 7 Aug 11
A bitter dispute has erupted between the Christian Social Union, sister party to the ruling Christian Democratic Union, and the Left party, after CSU General Secretary Alexander Dobrindt called for an investigation into banning the leftists. READ »

Norway killer considered Merkel a target

National: 25 Jul 11
The man responsible for killing nearly 100 people in Norway saw German politicians as possible murder targets, including Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ »

Pensioners are falling behind, ministry admits

Society: 5 Jul 11
Germany’s 20 million pensioners are going to find life increasingly tough with the government confirming for the first time that benefit payments are rising at well below the pace of inflation. READ »

Website ranks the sexiest Bundestag MPs

Politics: 30 Jun 11
A new website allowing visitors to decide the sexiest members of the German parliament has become an internet sensation. Female MPs from the socialist party The Left are leading the pack. READ »

Greens gain support even after Merkel's nuclear exit

Politics: 8 Jun 11
Angela Merkel's exit from nuclear power has done nothing to stem the tide of support for the environmentalist Greens, who are just three points behind the Chancellor's conservatives, a Wednesday poll showed. READ »

Pressure grows on Left over anti-Semitism

Politics: 1 Jun 11
Pressure is growing within Germany's Left party to take decisive action against alleged anti-Semitic tendencies among the socialists. READ »

MPs push for national smoking ban

Society: 26 May 11
Bundestag members from all sides of politics are joining forces to push for uniform anti-smoking laws nationwide. But any effort at fresh legislation is likely to face controversy. READ »

Bundeswehr soldier killed in Afghanistan

National: 25 May 11
A Bundeswehr soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday when roadside bomb exploded near his Fuchs armoured personnel carrier, injuring a second German soldier and an Afghan translator. READ »

Public health insurance premiums seen spiking

Business & Money: 16 May 11
The 71 million people covered by Germany’s statutory health insurance system may soon be forced to pay up to €840 ($1,195) per year over normal premiums, according to the the head of the state insurance association. READ »

Scientology struggles to find followers amid recruitment drives

National: 5 May 11
The Church of Scientology is losing members in Germany but is campaigning to recruit more followers and increase its size, the German government says. READ »

Sarrazin blasts SPD immigrant quota plan

Politics: 4 May 11
Former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has made further inflammatory remarks about immigrants just days after he was given a reprieve by his own Social Democratic Party. READ »

Greens gaining on Merkel's conservatives

Politics: 4 May 11
Germany’s highflying environmentalist Greens are breathing down the neck of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, narrowing the gap in their support to just three percentage points in a new opinion poll released on Wednesday. READ »

MPs call for hike in commuter allowance

Business & Money: 3 May 11
Amid rising petrol prices, a cross-party group of MPs is calling for a hike in the Pendlerpauschale commuter allowance, which lets German workers write off travel costs on their tax. READ »

Anti-Semitic flyer found on The Left website

Politics: 28 Apr 11
Prosecutors on Thursday said they were investigating an anti-Semitic leaflet which was found on the website of a regional Ruhr Valley chapter of Germany's socialist party The Left. READ »

Politicians driving 'climate killer' cars

Politics: 19 Apr 11
Despite Germany‘s recent tilt towards clean energy, most politicians are still being ferried around in gas-guzzling government cars, according to a survey by environmentalists which grades individual leaders. READ »

Socialist politician accused of stealing toilet paper

Politics: 13 Apr 11
A young politician from the socialist Left party has been busted stealing 200 rolls of toilet paper from a city hall in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, media reported Wednesday. READ »

Künast seen as Greens' best hope for chancellor

Politics: 10 Apr 11
Green parliamentary co-leader Renate Künast, just confirmed as the party's choice to take on Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit in September elections, is the top pick for a Green chancellor candidate among respondents of a new poll released Sunday. READ »

Greens flying high with record voter approval

Politics: 6 Apr 11
The environmentalist Greens continue gaining popularity in Germany, where a new poll on Wednesday showed the party had reached their highest approval rating in history. READ »

Friedrich: Muslims must help catch extremists

National: 29 Mar 11
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said Tuesday Muslims should help root out Islamists in their community, announcing a new initiative targeting extremists like the one responsible for a recent deadly attack on US soldiers. READ »

Bundestag votes to broaden Afghan mission

National: 25 Mar 11
Facing criticism over Germany’s refusal to contribute to the military intervention in Libya, the Bundestag voted Friday to relieve NATO allies by broadening the German mission in Afghanistan. READ »

Badly behaved MPs face €2,000 fines

Politics: 25 Mar 11
Members behaving badly in the federal parliament will face fines of up to €2,000 under changes to rules of conduct, according to a Friday news report. READ »

Saxony-Anhalt goes to the polls

Politics: 20 Mar 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel braced for a voter backlash Sunday in a state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the first vote since the Japan disaster forced her into a sudden U-turn on nuclear policy. READ »

Greens jump in the polls

Politics: 16 Mar 11
The nuclear crisis in Japan has increased support in Germany for the environmentalist Green party, according to a new poll released Wednesday. The Greens have traditionally taken a strong anti-nuclear stance. READ »

More than 100,000 protest nuclear power

Society: 15 Mar 11
Organisers of anti-nuclear demonstrations in Germany said Monday that more than 100,000 people had turned out to call for the closing of the country's nuclear power stations after the disaster in Japan. READ »

Merkel calls for review of nuclear plant safety

Politics: 13 Mar 11
Following an emergency meeting with German cabinet members on Saturday, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a safety inspection of nuclear power plants in Germany, as a blast at Japan's Fukushima plant raised fears of a meltdown. READ »

Japan quake fuels German nuclear debate

National: 12 Mar 11
On the heels of an explosion at a Japanese nuclear power plant following a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in the country, politicians in Berlin spoke out Saturday against plans to extend the lifetime of nuclear reactors in Germany. READ »

Former neo-Nazi becomes leftist after sex change

Politics: 12 Mar 11
Before undergoing a sex change to become a woman, Monika Strub was a member of Germany's neo-Nazi NPD party. But ten years later, she is running for Baden-Württemberg's state parliament for the socialist Left party. READ »

Poll points to possible left-wing coalition in Saxony-Anhalt

Politics: 11 Mar 11
With just over a week until a state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the centre-left Social Democrats are tied in a poll with the socialist Left party – potentially opening the way for an alliance that could topple the current grand coalition. READ »

Police raid anti-fascists' offices after Dresden violence

Society: 20 Feb 11
Police raided offices used by anti-fascists in Dresden on Saturday evening after violence erupted when demonstrators hindered three neo-Nazi marches through the city. READ »

Neo-Nazis and protestors fill a tense Dresden

National: 19 Feb 11
Thousands of anti-fascists and neo-Nazis as well as police officers trying to keep them apart filled Dresden's city centre on Saturday after organisers of three neo-Nazi demonstrations were given the judicial go-ahead to march. READ »

Water utility referendum a 'cold shower' for Berlin

National: 14 Feb 11
Berliners pushed through the city-state’s first successful referendum on Sunday, with almost everyone at the polls voting in favour of complete disclosure of the German capital’s water utility contracts. READ »

SPD and Greens set for power in Hamburg

Politics: 13 Feb 11
A centre-left coalition of Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens looks set to win next week's election in the city-state of Hamburg, according to the latest opinion poll published in Focus magazine. READ »

Merkel's coalition closes poll gap with opposition

Politics: 9 Feb 11
Trailing heavily in opinion polls a few months ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling centre-right coalition has clawed back support just one percentage point behind Germany’s left-wing opposition parties. READ »

Half-century of CDU rule in Stuttgart on knife edge

Politics: 4 Feb 11
In the race for the key state of Baden-Württemberg, the centre-left opposition is within striking distance of taking power in the March election after more than half a century of conservative rule, a poll showed Friday. READ »

Dozens arrested as leftists battle police

Society: 3 Feb 11
Rampages by left-wing extremists in Berlin on Wednesday night following the eviction of residents at a former squat left 61 police officers injured and ended with 82 arrests, police reported. READ »

Bundestag extends Afghanistan mission

Politics: 28 Jan 11
Germany's parliament voted in favour of extending the country’s unpopular military mission in Afghanistan by one year on Friday, with a new mandate allowing for the withdrawal of troops to begin in 2011 if conditions permit. READ »

German Media Roundup: Guttenberg's slick image slips away

Analysis & Opinion: 25 Jan 11
Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg this week angrily dismissed criticism of his handling of several military scandals, but newspapers in The Local’s media roundup wrote he risks losing control of his ministry. READ »

Guttenberg orders full review of armed forces

National: 23 Jan 11
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has called for a comprehensive investigation into potential breaches of Bundeswehr protocol in the armed forces, according to a Sunday news report. READ »

Left remembers Luxemburg and Liebknecht amid communism row

Politics: 9 Jan 11
Leaders of The Left party met in Berlin on Sunday for the traditional laying of a wreath in memory of the murdered socialists Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht amid in-fighting over whether communism was still their aim. READ »

German Media Roundup: Westerwelle's buoyant navel-gazing

Analysis & Opinion: 7 Jan 11
A day after Guido Westerwelle made speech considered crucial to his political fate, commentators in The Local's media roundup on Friday blasted the failure of Free Democratic Party leader to admit he has made mistakes. READ »

Conservatives call for ban on The Left party amid commie flap

Politics: 6 Jan 11
Bavaria's conservative premier Horst Seehofer has backed a call to consider banning the socialist Left party in the wake of controversial comments by its chairwoman Gesine Lötzsch about putting Germany on the path to communism. READ »

Unions fret eastern Europeans will hit wages

Business & Money: 28 Dec 10
Trade unions are threatening major protests unless Angela Merkel’s coalition government introduces a minimum wage for temporary jobs in Germany to prevent foreign workers undercutting salaries. READ »

Nearly half of Germans want Westerwelle out

Politics: 25 Dec 10
A new survey has found that 49 percent of Germans think Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle should resign. Westerwelle has come under increasing pressure from within his own Free Democratic Party (FDP). READ »

Left party against WWII refugee museum

Society: 25 Dec 10
The Left party has spoken out against a proposed museum commemorating Germans displaced by World War II. The museum is being founded without representatives from the Jewish Council or the Council of Sinti and Roma. READ »

WikiLeaks cable embarrasses Left leader

Politics: 19 Dec 10
The Left party's Gregor Gysi was left with some explaining to do after an American diplomatic cable revealed he apparently told US Ambassador Philip Murphy that his party's opposition to NATO was only for show. READ »

President Wulff becomes honorary godfather to neo-Nazi baby

National: 2 Dec 10
According to tradition, Germany's president becomes the honorary godfather for each family’s seventh baby. But President Christian Wulff's decision to sponsor the spawn of alleged neo-Nazis has sparked outrage. READ »

Mediator Geißler backs Stuttgart 21 rail project

National: 30 Nov 10
Heiner Geißler, chief mediator for talks on the controversial rail project Stuttgart 21, delivered his verdict on Tuesday evening, saying there would be no referendum and the expensive revamp of the train station should go forward. READ »

Left accuses government of hiding security gaps

National: 28 Nov 10
The head of the Left party Klaus Ernst accused the government on Sunday of endangering people's lives by allowing too much airport security to be privatized. READ »

Jealous of an unsatisfied Germany

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Nov 10
Success breeds resentment – so it's little wonder other countries including the US are jealous of Germany's booming economy. But even Germans don't seem to like it when things are going well, says Der Tagesspiegel's Malte Lehming. READ »

Family Minister Schröder locked in blazing feminism row

Society: 9 Nov 10
A blazing row over feminism erupted Tuesday between Family Minister Kristina Schröder and leading women’s rights campaigner, Alice Schwarzer, following an interview by the minister that had other women politicians bristling too. READ »

Unruly MPs to face €3,000 fines

Politics: 4 Nov 10
German lawmakers who play up in parliament face fines of up to €3,000 under a new regulation aimed at improving the decorum among the people’s representatives, a Thursday media report said. READ »

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