Jan van Aken: The left can go back – a path to unity!

Jan van Aken: The left can go back – a path to unity!

Jan van Aken, a prominent member of the Left Party, spoke out as a candidate for party leadership in the current phoenix podcast “under 3”. He describes his approach to revitalizing the party as characterized by “diplomacy and tact.” According to van Aken, despite its challenges, the Left Party is by no means lost. After visiting almost 20 district associations, he was surprised at how much energy and motivation there is at the grassroots level. He is convinced that the Left has a chance of receiving up to eight percent of the vote in next year's federal election, especially since younger voters lean strongly towards the Left.

Van Aken, a member of the Left Party since 2007 and a former member of the Bundestag, highlighted some of the party's core values: socialism, solidarity and human rights. Next weekend he wants to run for the presidency together with Ines Schwerdtner at the party conference in Halle after the previous chairmen Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan announced that they would not run again.

Position on the AfD

In another part of the podcast, van Aken expressed his thoughts on a possible ban on the AfD. He described the party as one that openly declared that it would undermine democracy itself. His stance on considering a ban has changed. He was originally skeptical, believing that a ban would not solve the problem of right-wing extremism. However, he is now of the opinion that the AfD structures must be deprived of their financial and human resources.

Van Aken warns against underestimating the long-term consequences of a failed ban procedure for the AfD. It calls for a look into the future and encourages us to imagine what might happen if the party gains control of positions of power, similar to 1933. Article 21 of the Basic Law, says van Aken, is an important protective mechanism for defending democracy, and he emphasizes the need to act now to decisively counter the AfD.

The complete discussion can be listened to on the phoenix podcast under “under 3”.