Janine Wissler

Janine Natalie Wißler (born 23 May 1981), 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.

Wissler attended the Dreieich Wingert School from 1987 to 1991 and the Dreieich Ricarda Huch School from 1991 to 2001.

She then completed a degree in political science from 2001 to 2012 at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt.

In addition to her studies, she worked as a part-time specialist saleswoman in a hardware store from 2002 to 2007.

In 2004, Wissler co-founded the Hessian branch of the Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (WASG), a left-wing split from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and joined The Left when WASG merged into it in 2007.

At its founding congress, Wissler was elected as one of the 44 members of the party executive committee.

From 2005 to 2008, she also worked in the constituency office of Bundestag deputy Werner Dreibus.

She is also a member of the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action and the trade union ver.di.

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.

In the 2008 Hessian state election, she was one of six Left party deputies elected.

She was deputy leader of the parliamentary group from 2008 to 2009, then became co-leader of the group alongside Willi van Ooyen in February 2009.

She retained her seat in the 2009, 2013, and 2018 elections.

In 2011, Wissler became leader of the Left party's local branch in the Hessian city of Frankfurt am Main.

She ran for mayor of Frankfurt am Main in the 2012 and 2018 elections.

In 2012, she placed fifth with 3.8% of the vote; in 2018, she placed fourth with 8.8%.

After van Ooyen's resignation in 2014, Wissler became the sole parliamentary leader of her party in the Hessian Landtag.

At the 2014 Left party congress, Wissler was elected one of six federal deputy leaders.

She received the highest proportion of votes of any candidate.

In the 2018 Hessian state election, Wissler was one of the party's lead candidates alongside.

The party won 6.3%, its best result to date, and increased its parliamentary presence from six to nine members.

In January 2020, Wissler was among several politicians who received death threats from "NSU 2.0", a purported successor of neo-Nazi terrorist group the National Socialist Underground (NSU).

The threats included confidential information taken from Frankfurt police computers.

She was subject to further threats in July 2020.

An investigation into a potential far-right extremist network operating within the Hessian police was subsequently launched by the state government.

In September 2020, Wissler announced her candidacy for the federal co-leadership of The Left.

Prior to submitting her application, she resigned from Marx21 and the Socialist Left, stating that it was customary for candidates to terminate their association with internal factions.

Wissler was elected federal co-chairwoman at a party conference on 27 February 2021, winning 84.2% of votes cast.

On 2 May 2021, Wissler was announced as one of The Left's lead candidates for the 2021 German federal election, alongside Dietmar Bartsch.

She and Bartsch were confirmed with 87% of votes by the party executive on 9 May.

The Left won 4.9% of party list votes in the election, narrowly falling short of the 5% electoral threshold, but re-entered the Bundestag due to winning three direct constituencies.

Wissler ran in the constituency of Frankfurt am Main I, winning 8.8% of votes and placing fifth.

She was elected to the Bundestag in first place on the state party list.

After co-leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow resigned in April 2022, elections for both co-chairpersons were held at a party congress in June.

Despite ongoing controversy due to election defeats and sexual abuse allegations within the party, Wissler announced her intention to seek re-election.

She was elected in the first ballot with 319 votes (57.5%), but was challenged by several candidates, including Heidi Reichinnek, who won 199 votes (35.8%).

Wissler is considered a member of her party's left wing.

She rejects capitalism as an "inhuman, cruel system".

She has stated that a classless society cannot be achieved through parliaments or governments, and that historical progress has always been achieved through revolution.

Wissler advocates the Germany's withdrawal from NATO and the alliance's dissolution.