Katja Kipping is a German politician of The Left party. She was a member of the Bundestag representing Saxony from 2005 to 2021,a federal co-leader of The Left from 2012 to 2021 alongside Bernd Riexinger,and the Senator for Integration,Labour and Social Affairs in the Berlin state government from December 2021 to April 2023.
Bodo Ramelow is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as Minister-President of Thuringia,an office he previously held from 2014 to 5 February 2020. He is the first head of a German state government to serve non-consecutive terms in office since Eberhard Diepgen,who served twice as Governing Mayor of Berlin. A member of The Left,he previously chaired the party's group in the Landtag of Thuringia. On 8 October 2021,he was elected to a one-year term as President of the Bundesrat. His term lasted from 1 November 2021 until 31 October 2022.
The Left,commonly referred to as the Left Party,is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice –The Electoral Alternative. Through the PDS,the party is the direct descendant of the Marxist–Leninist ruling party of the former East Germany,the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Since 2022,The Left's co-chairpersons have been Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan. The party holds 39 seats out of 736 in the Bundestag,the federal legislature of Germany,having won 4.9% of votes cast in the 2021 German federal election. Its parliamentary group is the smallest of six in the Bundestag,and is headed by parliamentary co-leaders Amira Mohamed Ali and Dietmar Bartsch.
The Landtag of Thuringia is the parliament of the German federal state of Thuringia. It convenes in Erfurt and currently consists of 90 members from six parties. According to the free state's constitution,the primary functions of the Landtag are to pass laws,elect the Minister-President and control the government of Thuringia.
The 2009 Thuringian state election was held on 30 August 2009 to elect the members of the 5th Landtag of Thuringia. It was held on the same day as the 2009 Saarland state election and the 2009 Saxony state election. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Dieter Althaus was defeated. The CDU subsequently formed a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Althaus resigned after the election due to his party's poor performance,which was far below expectations. He was succeeded by fellow CDU member Christine Lieberknecht,who was elected as the new Minister-President.
The 2014 Thuringian state election was held on 14 September 2014 to elect the members of the 6th Landtag of Thuringia. The government prior to the election was a grand coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Minister-President Christine Lieberknecht. The government narrowly retained its majority. However,the SPD chose not to renew the coalition,instead pursuing an agreement to enter as a junior partner in a coalition with The Left and The Greens. After a vote of the SPD membership showed a majority in favour,the SPD went ahead with the agreement.
The first Ramelow cabinet was the state government of Thuringia between 2014 and 2020,sworn in on 5 December 2014 after Bodo Ramelow was elected as Minister-President by the members of the Landtag of Thuringia. It was the 7th Cabinet of Thuringia.
Birgit Klaubert is a German politician and former vice president of the Thuringian regional parliament ("Landtag"). From 2014 to 2017 Klaubert served as Thuringia's Minister for Education,Youth and Sport.
Janine Natalie Wißler,known professionally as Janine Wissler,is a German politician who has been co-chairwoman of The Left and member of the Bundestag for Hesse since 2021. Prior to that,she served as member of the Landtag of Hesse since 2008 and leader of the state parliamentary group since 2009,including as sole leader since 2014,as well as deputy leader of the federal party since 2014. She was one of The Left's lead candidates for the 2021 German federal election,alongside Dietmar Bartsch.
The 2019 Thuringian state election was held on 27 October 2019 to elect the members of the 7th Landtag of Thuringia. The outgoing government was a coalition consisting of The Left,the Social Democratic Party (SPD),and The Greens,led by Minister-President Bodo Ramelow.
Thomas Karl Leonard Kemmerich is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) who served as the Minister President of Thuringia from 5 February to 4 March 2020. With a tenure of only 28 days,he was both the shortest-serving Minister President of Thuringia and the shortest-serving head of a state government in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The next Thuringian state election will be held no later than between August and December 2024 to elect the 8th Landtag of Thuringia. The current government is a minority government consisting of The Left,the Social Democratic Party (SPD),and The Greens,led by Minister President Bodo Ramelow of The Left.
Martina Renner is a German politician of The Left who has been a member of the Bundestag since 2013 and one of six deputy leaders of her party since 2018.
The 2020 Thuringian government crisis,also known as the Thuringia crisis,was triggered by the election of Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) as Thuringian Minister President with votes from the AfD,CDU and FDP on February 5,2020. The election attracted considerable national and international attention because,for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany,a Minister President was elected with votes from a far-right populist party,in this case the AfD.
Erfurt I is an electoral constituency represented in the Landtag of Thuringia. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system,it is designated as constituency 24. It contains northern parts of Erfurt,the capital and largest city of Thuringia.
Erfurt II is an electoral constituency represented in the Landtag of Thuringia. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system,it is designated as constituency 25. It contains central and western parts of Erfurt,the capital and largest city of Thuringia.
Anja Siegesmund is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens. Between 2014 and 2023,she served as Minister of the Environment in the state government of Thuringia in the coalition government of Bodo Ramelow. Until 31 January 2023,she was also Second Deputy Minister-President of Thuringia. From 2009 to 2014 she was leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the Landtag of Thuringia. She was a member of the Landtag from 2009 to 2015,then again from 2019 to 2020. In December 2022 she announced her imminent resignation from her political offices;on 1 February 2023 she was succeeded by Bernhard Stengele.
Birgit Pommer is a German politician of The Left who has served as President of the Landtag of Thuringia since November 2019. She is the first member of her party to serve as speaker of any state parliament. Prior,she served as Minister for Infrastructure and Agriculture in the first Ramelow cabinet.
Mario Voigt is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as the leader of the CDU in the State Parliament of Thuringia since 2020. He has been a member of the State Parliament since 2009. He previously served as co-deputy leader of the Thuringian CDU from 2014 to 2020,and general-secretary of the party from 2010 to 2014.
The second Ramelow cabinet is the current state government of Thuringia,sworn in on 4 March 2020 after Bodo Ramelow was elected as Minister-President by the members of the Landtag of Thuringia. It is the 8th Cabinet of Thuringia.
