Oskar Lafontaine

Lafontaine is a believer in classic social democracy, and had a strong base in the state he headed for long, Saarland. But before the 1998 elections, Schröder outshone him, so, like Bliar & Brown, they made an agreement: Lafontaine became finance minister. When it became apparent that he can't prevent Schröder's neolib-lite 'reformism' even from that position, he resigned and became an open critic. This was spun by Schröder's circle and the media as a flight from 'responsibility' -- because, as we know, 'responsibility' nowadays means to support reforms even against public opinion, best by sacrificing leftist credibility...

"Red Oskar" is one of the most controversial politicians in Germany, but not just for his politics. While his rather low overall sympathy numbers for a political star can have ideological reasons on the Right, or have to do with the bad memory of his 'desertion' in the SPD and with his personal attacks and some strange positions (f.e. on refugees) among Greens; the perception of off-putting levels of narcissism and know-it-all-ism in his frequent talk-show appearances was also widespread.

Lothar Bisky

Looks and style are one thing, but the man spoofed as concrete-head has a more interesting bio: a refugee from now Polish former German regions as a child, emigrating from West to East Germany [!] to study, controversy over his level of cooparation with the Stasi during his scientific career (he was a trusted and registered source, but claims he never signed anything and his reports were routine memos of his travels to the West), appeal for reformed democratic socialism during the mass protests in 1989, then short-time leader of the reform wing in the Party.

Gregor Gysi

Bisky's predecessor as one half of the double head is the present federal parliamentary faction head. He was a lawyer in GDR times, who even defended regime critics, but has a controversy of his own about being an informer. He too emerged to become a leader of the reform wing of the Party with speeches at mass protests. But he was real good at speeches, and became a regular guest of political talk shows - he was about the only leader of the new PDS who could cross the culture and socialisation barrier and inspire wider audiences even in former West Germany.

Gysi lost some shine in 2002, however. That year, his PDS coalitioned with new mayor Klaus Wowereit's SPD in Berlin, and Gysi became economy minister of a new city government with the task to right the messed-up finances inherited from its predecessor. That was to be a strict austerity programme, something the SPD could rightly expect to result in voter loss for the PDS. But Gysi himself bolted out much earlier, using the occasion of his minor involvement in a scandal about airmiles of members of parliament to resign.

The future double head:

Gesine Lötzsch

The trained language teacher is the better known of the future two leaders. She gained prominence after the 2002 federal elections.

Left Party predecessor PDS could only pass the overall 5% limit with a very strong showing in East German states, but in 2002, Schröder attracted many voters over to the SPD. So PDS could send only two representatives into the federal parliament, who were elected directly in East Berlin. One of these was Lötzsch. Despite several formal obstacles erected to limit their participation in debates and commissions, Lötsch and her comrade could make their distinct voices heard in the media.

Lötsch was re-elected in 2005 and 2009, too, but had a lower profile in the new merged party under the male top dogs.

Klaus Ernst

Ernst, a Bavarian, made career as an activist of the metal workers' union. He was one of the initiators of an anti-reforms petition (for which he was kicked out of the SPD) that led to WASG, the West German predecessor of the Left Party. Like Lafontaine, he is an old-style social democrat.

He was involved in the party merger as one of WASG's leaders, and as both a top West German and a union representative, was a key man in the Left Party. However, I never read him mentioned among the ambitious leaders-in-waiting (unlike some East German state leaders).

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Looking at the sorry events at state level over the past two years, when animosity to Lafontaine or the 'communist past' played a role, the big question of course is how the Left Party leadership change will affect future cooperation with the SPD.

The first signal from the SPD was negative: party boss Sigmar Gabriel said that the person of the leader doesn't change the SPD's critical stance towards the Left Party. This doesn't have to mean much, though. (Gabriel is a careerist who at a time was to be Schröder's political heir, but more recently made a name as controversial environment minister in the previous Grand Coalition federal government, and earned party leadership now by impressing the base as the only leader to seriously fight an election campaign last year and making overtures to the party left wing.)