Overview

• Linke parliamentary leader Heidi Reichinnek told Stern the DDR was not socialism as her party conceives it.
• CSU leader Markus Söder responded on Instagram that the DDR was “Sozialismus pur” and an unjust state, reiterating no cooperation with Die Linke.
• Freie Wähler chief Hubert Aiwanger backed the criticism on Instagram and warned against repeating policies he associates with socialism.
• CDU figures including Ottilie Klein and Christoph Ploß accused Reichinnek of distorting history and told her to be ashamed, as FDP leader Christian Dürr called the DDR a dictatorship.
• Reichinnek emphasized a goal of democratic socialism focused on changing the economic order, noting that capitalism is not protected by Germany’s Basic Law.