Overview
- Pantisano told Bild last weekend that there was “no difference” between the CDU, the AfD and fascists and later said that sentence was wrong and “verkürzt.”
- He said Friday that he regrets the CDU did not accept his apology and reaffirmed his broader concern about a rightward drift in the Union.
- CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann publicly rejected the apology and accused Pantisano of trying to excuse a clear statement.
- The Bundestag took up the remarks in an Aktuelle Stunde, putting the dispute into formal parliamentary debate and public scrutiny.
- Pantisano was elected co‑leader of Die Linke with a narrow 53 percent mandate while Ines Schwerdtner won near‑unanimous confirmation, a split that leaves his leadership vulnerable as he presses his critique.