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Die Linke Becomes Berlin’s Largest Party by Membership

A recent influx of roughly 20 new members a day has pushed the party past the Greens and strengthened its grassroots presence ahead of the 20 September Abgeordnetenhauswahl.

Overview

  • On Wednesday, August 12, Die Linke reported about 18,338 members in Berlin, overtaking the Greens, which had 17,513 members as of June 30.
  • Landesgeschäftsführer Bjoern Tielebein said the party has averaged roughly 20 new entries per day and describes the new cohort as younger and more female.
  • The Greens have seen a decline of about 600 members from a year earlier, the SPD declined to give a mid‑year update after reporting 17,673 at the start of the year, and the CDU recorded a modest fall to 12,159 members.
  • Smaller and newer formations show mixed trends: the AfD rose to 2,084 members and the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht grew to 1,090, while the FDP fell to 3,370 members.
  • Analysts and parties say membership gains boost volunteers, local networks and fundraising capacity but do not directly predict vote shares, and the figures are party‑provided counts compiled by dpa.