The Left in Hamburg's state election: Support from the Comrade Trend
People in Hamburg are rubbing their eyes in astonishment: 14.4 percent for The Left! Has something like this ever happened before? No, it hasn't. Never.
And how could that happen? The Left Party is puzzling over this just as much as everywhere else. Of course they have the momentum on their side right now. Of course they are lucky that two historically unpopular candidates for chancellor have duelled. And that one of them has made it abundantly clear why there needs to be a strong, uncompromisingly anti-fascist representation in the Bundestag.
But the result also shows the potential for Die Linke. Now we must not make the mistake of drawing conclusions from federal elections to state elections. But it could well be that Comrade Trend will stay at the side of the Hamburg Left for a few more days.
They have grown above average in Hamburg, even if you only look at the western states. And of these, they started in Hamburg from the second highest level after Bremen. So they weren't picking low-hanging grapes. In other words: It's not just a national trend.
This had already been announced in the polls for the state election , where the Left Party climbed from five to ten percent in a few weeks – more than it has ever achieved in a state election.
And it was felt in the city: Heidi Reichinnek's acclaimed appearances and the aggressive yet Hanseatic-calm television appearances of party leader Jan van Aken spoke to the hearts of many Hamburg residents. The federal and state parties whipped each other into a euphoric high.
The talk in the city has changed. A few weeks ago the decisive question was whether a vote for Die Linke would be wasted, but there is suddenly interest even from very distant circles. The post-election hangover at the BSW, which is hopelessly divided in Hamburg, could do the rest.
Could the election of their top candidate Cansu Özdemir to the Bundestag still damage the Left Party in the final stages? Probably not, as her departure would be a positive step, a visible sign of success. And there is nothing people love more than success. Even leftists.
taz
