Gesine Lötzsch
Encyclopedia
Gesine Lötzsch [geˈsinə løːtʃ] (born 7 August 1961) is a German
politician
of the left-wing party Die Linke. She was elected president of Die Linke in 2010 (jointly with Klaus Ernst
).
She was born in East Germany and joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
in 1984, remaining a member of its successor parties SED-PDS (1989–1990), PDS, (1990–2005), Die Linkspartei.PDS (2005–2007) and Die Linke (2007-). She was elected to the German parliament
(the Bundestag
) for the Party of Democratic Socialism in 2002.
Lötzsch has been criticized of suggesting former Stasi
employees should serve in parliaments and governments. The leader of the Alliance '90/The Greens
, Claudia Roth
, claimed that Gesine Lötzsch wants to "sweep the past under the carpet". Her local party group in Berlin-Lichtenberg has invited former Stasi employees and informers as speakers on several occasions with her support; for instance Erich Mielke
's immediate deputy Werner Grossmann
was invited as a speaker Green member of parliament Wolfgang Wieland criticized her of appearing as a speaker in a revisionist association, "Initiativgemeinschaft zum Schutz der sozialen Rechte"
She is married to Ronald Lötzsch, who was revealed to be a former Stasi
informer in 2010.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
of the left-wing party Die Linke. She was elected president of Die Linke in 2010 (jointly with Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst is a left-wing German politician and was a leading member of the Labour and Social Justice Party and now The Left...
).
She was born in East Germany and joined the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
in 1984, remaining a member of its successor parties SED-PDS (1989–1990), PDS, (1990–2005), Die Linkspartei.PDS (2005–2007) and Die Linke (2007-). She was elected to the German parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
(the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
) for the Party of Democratic Socialism in 2002.
Lötzsch has been criticized of suggesting former Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
employees should serve in parliaments and governments. The leader of the Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, Claudia Roth
Claudia Roth
Claudia Benedikta Roth is a German Green Party politician and one of the two current party chairs, together with Cem Özdemir.- Biography :...
, claimed that Gesine Lötzsch wants to "sweep the past under the carpet". Her local party group in Berlin-Lichtenberg has invited former Stasi employees and informers as speakers on several occasions with her support; for instance Erich Mielke
Erich Mielke
Erich Fritz Emil Mielke was a German communist politician and Minister of State Security—and as such head of the Stasi —of the German Democratic Republic between 1957 and 1989. Mielke spent more than a decade as an operative of the NKVD during the rule of Joseph Stalin...
's immediate deputy Werner Grossmann
Werner Grossmann
Werner Großmann is an East German former deputy leader of the Ministry for State Security .Born in Ober-Ebenheit, Grossman started his career as a bricklayer, but in 1952 he joined the Ministry for State Security where he studied political and military espionage...
was invited as a speaker Green member of parliament Wolfgang Wieland criticized her of appearing as a speaker in a revisionist association, "Initiativgemeinschaft zum Schutz der sozialen Rechte"
She is married to Ronald Lötzsch, who was revealed to be a former Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
informer in 2010.