ByHeinrich Buecker – September 27/2021
Founder of the Anti-War-Café Berlin, chapter of World Beyond War
Member of the German Peace Council
Member of the party DIE LINKE
Member of Frente Unido America Latina
The federal elections in Germany are marking a historic turning point. With heavy losses of the CDU, the Christian Democratsandthe Social Democrats the era of popular parties in Germany has come to an end.
The Liberal Party (FDP) and the Greens will in all probability bein volved in the next german government. It is currently unclear whether the Christian Democrats or the Social Democrats will provide the german chancellor, the German equivalent of a prime minister.
The new german government – regardless of whether it is led by the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats – will, by and large, continue the previous policy. Inequality will continue to grow as both CDU and the liberals (FDP) demand relief for high incomes.
Strong resistance from the SPD and the Greensis hardly to be expected. Since the Liberals (FDP) are needed to form a government, there will be no property or inheritance tax worthy of the name.
There will also be no approval of Russian, Chinese and Cuban vaccines or medicines in the fight against Covid-19. Instead very few western pharmaceutical companies and the lobbyists will be able to control the market.
In foreign policy all parties except DIE LINKE stand for further armament, the NATO and exceptthe AFD war missions by the german military a broad. None of the possible government parties want to counter act the aggressive US policy ofen circling Russia and China, which end angers the security of Germany.
The politics of the Nobel Peace Prizelaureate Willy Brandt for détente and disarmament will continue to be replaced by a foreign policy that end angers peace.
The LEFT experienced a debacle, most probably be cause top party leader shadoffered themselves day after day as junior partners to a “red-green-red” government over the past few weeks. On a nation wide average, theLeftParty fell from 9.2 percent in 2017 to just 4.9 percent.
Now it has become clear that the party wasable win three direct mandates, which saves the faction status of DIE LINKE in parliament, where theycan nowcounton 33 seats, although theyfailed to reach 5%. With the LINKE (Left) there is at least one party left in parliament that raises its voice against further social cuts and war.
As a consequence, DIE LINKE must make it now absolutely clear, that it will make no any concessions on its principles of peace policy – no military operations by the german military, no arms exports, an end to the drone murders from German soil, no armed combat drones to lead of wars contrary to international law.
Some within the party call to replace NATO with a security alliance includingRussia, which is a demand of the SPD in Willy Brandt’s time. Others call for a full rejection of NATO.
The fact that the Social Democrats and the Greens saw all this as an obstacle to forming a government with DIE LINKE is proof for their commit ment to interventionism. But without a commitment by the SPD and the Greens to international law, cooperation in a federal government should be absolutely unreasonable for DIE LINKE. All parties that support war missions contrary to international law, must be rejected out right.
Workers and pensionersa like will be made to pay again by whatever government comes into power. Instead of the “shift to the left” that the neoliberal media were warning about, there is now the danger of a clear “shift to the right” in foreign, social and tax policy.
The former DIE LINKE leader Sahra Wagenknecht did criticize the course of her party after the election fiasco. She claimed, that for several years, “rather poor election results” have been achieved. “And I think that has something to do with the fact that the left has moved further and further away in recent years from what it was actually founded for, namely to represent the interests of normal worker sand pensioners. She demanded that “mistakes should now be openly admitted and discussed”.
Out of about 60 million eligible voters, 76% actually participated in the elections. The German CommunistParty (DKP) received about 15.000 votes and the DIE LINKE about 2.300.000 votes.
Small parties might have added to the anti-left trend in these elections. The political party Die Basis, which represents corona-sceptics i.e. received 628.432 votes or 1.4%.
The hefty losses of the Christian Democrats were also partly the result of Angela Merkel leaving her post after 16 years and very controversial discussions about who would follow her. Many did not like the chosen leading candidate ArminLaschet.
Internacionalista 