Internal battles. However, IMHO the final result was more the Pirate Party effect: protest voters moved on, especially after seeing polls showing Pirates in and Left Party out.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

Die Linke was butchered by the Pirates and probably the SPD. Polls predicted a close result, and said if Die Linke would be over 5%, there would be no majority for SPD and Greens. This will have influenced many voters, I guess.

The Linke in the west is in many aspects quite young. It ahas attracted a lot of people who you would call - rightly, in this case - sectarians. Riding the wave  of the Left on the federal level they barely made it into the state parliament last time. And interpreted this result in NRW as license to live out their sectarian impulses.

No. Clearly this isn't Rösler's success.

Sigh. Watching ZDF now; just as I expected, Rösler just declared something to the tune that 'if we stick to our values and defend it against all headwinds then we will be successful'. So I expect more uncompromising behaviour for exampe in the arbitration over the feed-in law revision.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}