Ines Schwerdtner Named Left Party Candidate for Key Berlin Bundestag Seat

The new Left Party co-leader will run in Berlin-Lichtenberg, a critical constituency for the party's Bundestag representation.

Ines Schwerdtner, co-leader of Germany's Left Party, has been selected as the candidate for the Berlin-Lichtenberg constituency with 95.6% support from party representatives.
The seat has been a stronghold for the Left Party, previously held by Gesine Lötzsch, who is stepping down after decades of winning the district.
Berlin-Lichtenberg was one of three constituencies that allowed the Left Party to retain Bundestag representation in 2021 despite failing to meet the 5% national vote threshold.
The Left Party aims to secure Bundestag representation again in 2025 through direct mandates, leveraging Germany's Grundmandatsklausel rule.
Schwerdtner, elected co-leader of the party in October, joins other prominent Left Party figures like Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch in contesting key seats.