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Gregor Gysi
Image: Arno Burgi/dpa/picture-allianceImage: Arno Burgi/dpa/picture-alliance

Gregor Gysi

Gregor Gysi is a trained attorney and veteran politician of Germany's socialist Left Party.

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Alternative Left Parties Sign Cooperation Agreement

Germany's Left Party on Saturday endorsed formalizing the electoral alliance of former communists and disgruntled social democrats opposing the ruling left-right coalition.
December 11, 2005

Lawmakers Turn Backs on Left Party

During Tuesday's opening session of parliament, the Left Party's candidate for deputy speaker was dealt a blow when he failed to get the votes needed from fellow parliamentarians. It has highlighted old schisms.
October 19, 2005

Head of Secret Police Archive Says Sorry

September 26, 2005

Secret Police in Germany's Parliament?

Germany's federal commissioner for the files of the former East German secret police has called for an investigation of new parliamentarians to check whether they worked for the organization.
September 23, 2005

Left Party Not Yet Out of the Power Game

The Left Party was the only contender in the German polls who could claim a full victory, winning 8.7 percent of votes in their first bid for power. They may yet end up being the king-makers.
September 23, 2005

In German Politics, Small is Beautiful

The country's big parties were the big losers in Sunday's elections. And in their efforts to look for coalition partners, they'd be well served to look for inspiration abroad, say experts.
September 22, 2005

The East-West Ballot Divide

Fifteen years after German reunification, voters in the former east still poll differently to the those in the west. But their collective power at the ballot box was not enough to secure a majority.
September 19, 2005

Norway Embraces Red-Green Alliance

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik has conceded defeat in Norway's parliamentary elections, resigning after it became clear that his center-right coalition had been defeated by a three-party red-green alliance.
September 13, 2005

German Green Turned Red By Machine

An online "election machine" that helps people figure out what party is closest to them might offer surprising insights to many. Even a parliamentarian has now figured out that he should really back his political rivals.
September 12, 2005

All Eyes on Dresden in German Election

Germany's election on Sunday could face legal challenges amid allegations of unfairness: Voters in the eastern city of Dresden will head to the polls two weeks later due to the death of a parliamentary candidate.
September 12, 2005

Left Party tries to Right East-West Row

The newly formed pan-German socialist Left Party has upset eastern Germans with one of its campaign billboards. The poster allegedly shows an eastern politician slavishly looking at a westerner.
September 9, 2005

Left Party Leader Wins Privacy Case

A Berlin court issued a provisional ruling suppressing the publication of Gregor Gysi's Stasi files. The leader of the new Left party argued its publication would be in breach of his professional secrecy.
September 6, 2005

Coalition Calculus Crucial in Germany

Germany's political climate after the Sept.18 election will depend on the tricky business of coalition-building. The composition of party alliances is perhaps as important as the question of who becomes chancellor.
August 29, 2005

A Dose of Reality for Germany's Left Party?

Three weeks before Germany's general election, the newly formed socialist Left Party is starting to flag in the polls as it battles to defend its campaign platform considered by many critics as financially unviable.
August 28, 2005

Gregor Gysi: Portrait of a Political Charmer

The media-savvy leader of the new Left Party is fighting his election campaign with former Social Democrat heavyweight Oskar Lafontaine: together they are causing a stir in German politics.
August 25, 2005

The End of East Germany

Fifteen years ago, the parliament of former communist East Germany decided that a reunified Germany would be wiser and voted to join the West German state -- a historical moment that ended 45 years of Cold War.
August 23, 2005

Opinion: Schröder Caught in the Middle

With less than a month left until Germans go to the polls, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder appears to be in a tight spot. Maybe his decision to have an early election wasn't such a great idea, says DW-WORLD's Marc Young.
August 20, 2005

Left Party Gets Election Break

August 19, 2005

German Election Campaign Heads East

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his conservative rival Angela Merkel have started their campaigns in the eastern parts of the country. The two are not only fighting each other, but also the new Left Party.
August 16, 2005

"We Can't Realistically Hope to Win"

Germany's new Left Party has been rising in the polls and is likely to enter Germany's parliament after elections scheduled for Sept. 18. DW-TV spoke to Gregor Gysi, one of the party's leaders, about his plans.
August 13, 2005

Opinion: Fear and Loathing in Bavaria

Angela Merkel hopes to become the first chancellor from eastern Germany. She still might, despite a clumsy campaign. But no thanks to her fellow conservative Bavarian premier Edmund Stoiber, says DW-WORLD's Marc Young.
August 13, 2005

Getting the Gray Vote

Senior citizens make up a third of the German electorate and are being wooed by all the parties. But when it comes to one of the issues that concerns them -- pensions -- they don't think any one party has the answers.
August 12, 2005

"Lafontaine is Not a German Haider"

How strong is Germany's new leftist alliance? How dangerous is it for the Social Democrats? Is the Left Party's new front man, Oskar Lafontaine, wooing right wing voters? A political scientist offers answers.
August 4, 2005

Social Justice or Economic Folly?

The new hard-left grouping in Germany, the Left Party, is sending tremors across the political landscape. But, the party's economic program has industry groups and economists shaking their heads, and worrying.
August 2, 2005

Left Party Puts Rivals on Offensive

The newly formed "Left Party" is already gaining ground in the opinion polls -- at the cost of the conservative opposition. Although the leftists don't want to rule, they will take important votes.
July 20, 2005

The Comeback Kid

Former SPD chairman Oskar Lafontaine has had a tumultuous career in politics, withdrawing twice from the limelight in the past three decades. But this pugnacious and passionate "Napoleon" is back for his Waterloo.
July 20, 2005

Goodbye PDS, Hello "Left Party"

After much back and forth, Germany's reform communist PDS party on Sunday voted in favor of joining a new leftist alliance, and agreed to change their name, as expected, to The Left Party.
July 17, 2005

Germany's New Left Threatens Schröder

With two former media darlings looking to lead them into battle, Germany's newly allied leftists are hoping for major gains in the election. But how much can they really bite off?
June 14, 2005

Opinion: Germany Left Behind

While the new alliance of two leftist parties for Germany's early general election this fall might make the campaign more colorful, it certainly won't help the country, says DW-WORLD's Marc Young.
June 10, 2005

Gysi to Contest for PDS Again

June 3, 2005

Ex-Communists Ride High on Protest Wave

The success of Germany's "Monday Demonstrations," are symbolic of the unexpected return of the reformed Communists, who took a drubbing in the last federal elections but are ahead of the chancellor's party in some polls.
August 23, 2004

Communists Found EU-Wide Party

Communists from across Europe converged on Rome over the weekend to establish a new European-wide left party.
May 10, 2004

Dissidents Angered By the Release of East Germany's Last Leader

Former East German dissidents criticized the early release of East Germany’s last head of state. Egon Krenz was sentenced to six and a half years for his role in the fatal shootings of people trying to flee the country.
December 19, 2003

Back to the Future for Germany’s Socialists

Germany’s struggling socialist PDS, the successor party to East Germany's communists, has elected a new leader. The ballot came after an ongoing internal power struggle caused former leader Gabi Zimmer to step down.
June 30, 2003

Former Communists Teetering on the Edge

Germany’s former communists are fighting a bitter battle to keep their seats in the country’s parliament this Sunday. Their chances look slim and the other parties hope they stay that way.
September 20, 2002

Clearing the Political Air

The stench of political scandal is threatening to overwhelm Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s government come the September 22 elections. The coalition government is hoping a new transparency bill clears the air.
July 30, 2002

Thank You, Women!

A politician’s visit to a brothel – officially - and perfume instead of speeding tickets are just some of the actions taken across Europe to mark International Women’s Day on Friday.
March 8, 2002

Former Communist Leads Berlin Economy

Now that negotiations for a red-red coalition in Berlin have concluded, the financial future of Germany’s capital rests in the hands of a former communist, Gregor Gysi.
January 13, 2002