Campaign against the left | The Left is taking Minister Reiche to court

Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa Berlin.  The Left is taking Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) to the Federal Constitutional Court. The reason for the urgent application, which the German Press Agency has received, is an Instagram video from the ministry after the Left's election victory in Berlin. In excerpts from a speech on September 23rd, Reiche warns that it is dangerous for the capital and Germany as an investment location that a party talks about expropriation and writes this into its program and "openly practices anti-Semitism that frightens the Jews in this city."

The Left had asked Reiche through a lawyer to remove the video by September 29th - but it was still online on Sunday evening. Now the party is pursuing the same goal by going to Karlsruhe. Specifically, the Left argues in the application that Reiche disregarded the neutrality requirement for state organs and violated the Left's right to equal participation in political competition. In her position as Federal Minister of Economics, Reiche made unlawful, "one-sided and party-political" statements and was "part of a systematic campaign" by the CDU against the Left, as stated in the application for an interim injunction.

The Left was clearly the strongest force in Berlin in the election to the House of Representatives on September 20th. She is now aiming to form a government. The Left is also taking legal action against other politicians who have accused the party of anti-Semitism and proximity to criminal clans via social media. Some deleted their posts afterwards, others didn't. 

From the perspective of the Left, an interim order from the Constitutional Court is necessary to prevent further disruption, especially in the current phase of coalition formation. “There could be irreparable damage to the ongoing formation of a government in Berlin,” it says in the application. 

Preliminary talks between the Left, the Greens and the SPD in Berlin about possible foundations for a government alliance did not produce a clear result over the weekend. The talks are scheduled to continue in the new week. The Left relies on a red-green-red coalition. If this happens, she could nominate a governing mayor for the first time with her top candidate and co-parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp.  dpa/nd

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