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It is shortly before 7 pm when the decision is made: cancel. Two days and a good 19 hours before a new era begins for the left, it is clear: the federal party conference scheduled for Friday must not take place. It just doesn’t work.
The number of infections is now too high, also in Erfurt, the conference venue. There the critical limit of 50 infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week was exceeded for a long time.
Just as the corona virus is currently rampant throughout the republic, hardly anyone could recently imagine letting hundreds of colleagues, guests, or journalists travel to the Thuringian capital for a massive event.
In the end, the unanimous decision of the board of directors is therefore not surprising: “We have done everything possible to make possible a form of the party congress adapted to the Crown,” said federal director general Jörg Schindler later. However, ultimately, the assembly is not responsible.
But that also means: No landmark decision this week, on new leadership after more than eight years with Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger at the helm. The left is forced to wait.
Last week, the comrades had discussed mainly adjustments to the schedule and less about a cancellation. First, they agreed to shorten the party convention from three days to one day.
In a change between the party executive and the state president on Monday, the mood was different. Meanwhile, even the CDU had postponed its party conference. What image would comrades give if, of all places, they risk a wide-spread event in the country of their Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow? Especially since the party leadership has always acted as a warning in the pandemic.
No concrete plan B
Instead, the left now wants to talk again about how to proceed. They do not have a specific plan B. The executive board of the party will discuss the possible alternatives at its meeting on November 7 and 8, according to the decision that has been made.
It is precisely this question that is highly controversial among comrades. Basically, there are three ways to choose new leadership:
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Postal vote: It certainly wouldn’t be an atmospheric, but a comparatively quick way of choosing the board. Even if a vote by mail would mean a delay of weeks or even months. Voting could begin in December at the earliest, flanked by some kind of online party conference. In the best case, at least the closest management team would be determined before the end of the year. But the second round elections could drag the matter down. They speak of up to 14 weeks.
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Decentralized assemblies: The idea is to split the party convention. At the same time, the comrades gathered for smaller meetings in various places in the republic to minimize the risk of infection. The delegates would have to connect from the respective rooms via video switching. Advantage: At least a little more atmosphere and direct debate. Disadvantage: the logistical effort would be enormous.
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Regular party convention: The appointment is already scheduled. The left wants to meet in Bielefeld on March 20. In reality, however, to elect or at least animate its leading candidates for federal elections. Until now, you really didn’t know. Now he could change the plan without further ado and put the board of directors election on Bielefeld’s agenda. This would offer the opportunity to organize the decision for the new leading comrades in a publicly effective way. On the other hand, the date would be too late and the risk of starting the general election campaign with arguments and arguments would be even greater.
The differences were already revealed on Monday. According to information from SPIEGEL, party leader Bernd Riexinger and president-designate Janine Wissler internally announced a face-to-face party conference in the spring. Thuringia’s left-wing head of state, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, who wants to lead the federal party with Wissler, made it known via “taz” that she was advocating the vote by mail.
At Tuesday’s meeting, according to participants, Wissler again spoke in favor of the presence solution. Current President Katja Kipping, in turn, is also committed to voting by mail.
There are many good reasons for one or another position. Basically, the yearning for a face-to-face meeting is great among comrades. At the same time, there is concern that the number of infections may not be less in spring, on the contrary.
But other things could play a role as well: a live party congress would likely be an advantage for those hoping to gain an advantage for their own electoral results through their speaking skills and spontaneous dynamics at party conventions. People like Wissler. Voting by mail could, in turn, benefit colleagues who don’t want to lose anything if possible. People like Hennig-Wellsow.
Problem for the whole party
The bottom line, however, is that the postponement poses a problem for the whole party: the expected game has not yet materialized. For the second time, the crisis in the crown forces the left to cancel its meeting. Actually, the new board should have been fixed in June.
For more than half a year, future leadership, including the federal executive, who will also be elected, is lacking to make the party fit for the federal election campaign. Time pressure increases to develop an adequate strategy, especially in a contentious party like the left.
Much will now depend on how Wissler and Hennig-Wellsow deal with the situation, but also on how Kipping and Riexinger behave. His mandate is now unexpectedly extended. Both of them had made it clear beforehand that they had little desire for such a situation. At least parts of the party should see it similarly. Kipping and Riexinger have been criticized over and over again in recent years. Now a power vacuum threatens the left.
After all, there is good news this Tuesday: the local health department in Erfurt advised the left against its party congress, according to board circles. Rejection is no longer the exclusive decision of colleagues. One aspect that could save those on the left from high cancellation costs with the conference room operator.
