Overview
- Delegates at the party congress in Potsdam approved the measure by 65.5% to 28.8% on Sunday, June 21, 2026, making the cap a binding party rule.
- The cap applies to Die Linke members of the Bundestag and the European Parliament and is planned to take effect from the next federal and European elections.
- The €5,300 gross figure is tied to the public-sector tariff and equals roughly €3,300 net for a single earner in tax class 1, about Germany’s current average full-time wage.
- Most income above the cap is to be channelled into local social funds linked to 'Die Linke hilft', while the resolution allows limited exceptions and extra allowances for MPs facing special financial burdens or with children or care needs.
- The decision follows visible internal resistance — including a letter from 23 of 64 Bundestag members asking to cancel the debate — and will test the party’s pledge to align representatives’ pay with working-class incomes and build nationwide social-fund structures.