While the far-right representation in Germany's parliament doubled in size after weekend elections, the country's left wing also got a boost at the polls. With 8.5 percent of the vote, they easily crossed the five percent threshold to get back into active politics. RFI's Jan van der Made reports from Berlin.
Hundreds of people have gathered in the Glass House of the Berlin Arena, an old bus factory located at the bank of the river Spree that now hosts techno parties and other events.
The atmosphere is one of exaltation and speeches are received with thunderous applause, happy shouting and whistles.
They are celebrating the fact that the Die Linke party ("The Left") garnered 8.5 percent of the votes in Germany's national elections held on Sunday.
During the previous elections in 2021, it did not make the 5 percent threshold needed to enter the Bundestag (parliament).
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This time the heated campaign energised voters, with a turnout of 84 percent, the highest level since Germany's reunification in 1990.
"I’m absolutely enthusiastic about it. It is absolutely amazing. And nobody expected it," Tess, one of the Die Linke supporters tells RFI.
Die Linke is an offspring of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) that ruled communist East Germany for seven decades.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the SED morphed into the Democratic Socialist Party (PDS) and, in 2005 changed its name to Die Linke, which reached its biggest success in 2009 with 11.9 percent of the votes.
Its popularity faded, and in 2021, the party disappeared from the Bundestag due to lack of support.
Some of the older members trace their current membership back to the days of the SED, the party that became notorious for its iron rule, complete subordination to the USSR's Communist Party and its regime of Stasi secret police that monitored and persecuted the population of East Germany.
But today, the party wants to radiate youthfulness and enthusiasm.
Commentators on German radio, say that Die Linke is now a "youthful party" that cares, among other things, about ecology - something that used to be the monopoly of the Green party.
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Die Linke is also gaining ground in response to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party which came second in the polls with a record 20 percent, driven by fears over immigration and with strongest gains in its heartland in the ex-communist east.
"Of course it is very frightening to see that the far-right party is the second most successful party." says Nico, another Linke supporter who is at the election night event at Berlin Arena. "But still we are very happy that we are back as a party," he tells RFI.
Friedrich Merz, whose CDU/CSU alliance claimed victory with 28 percent of the vote, now has to form a coalition.
He is most likely to side with the vanquished Social Democrats (SPD) of the outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz but has pledged not to include the AfD in the future composition.
But both Tess and Nico think that Die Linke should not form a part of the government either.
"Die Linke is an opposition party," says Tess, laughing away the idea of Die Linke governing.
Nico agrees: "The promises that were made by the other parties are not going to be upheld. And that’s why there has to be a social opposition in the parliament. And that’s going to be the Left Party," he says confidently.
