Left wins two direct mandates in Leipzig

The Left Party won two direct mandates in Leipzig in the state elections. This means that the peculiarity of Saxony’s electoral law means that it can still get into parliament, although projections show that it will not overcome the five percent hurdle. According to projections, the Left Party’s entry into the state parliament means that the previously ruling Kenya coalition of CDU, Greens and SPD no longer has a majority.

Juliane Nagel won a direct mandate for the Left Party for the third time in a row. The 45-year-old came fourth in the Leipzig constituency in the south of Leipzig with 36.5 percent of the vote. She thus beat Jessica Steiner (CDU/22.0 percent) and Alexander Wiesner (AfD/13.2 percent), among others.

Nam Duy Nguyen achieved even higher approval ratings in the Leipzig 1 constituency. The 28-year-old received 39.8 percent of the vote. He left Christin Melcher (Greens/12.8 percent) and Cornelia Blattner (CDU/18.4 percent) behind, among others.

In Saxony, the so-called basic mandate clause allows parties with two direct mandates to enter parliament in the strength of their second vote result. According to projections, the Left Party could have six representatives.

This changed the seating arrangements in the state parliament so that the Kenya coalition no longer had a majority. The CDU, Greens and SPD together had 58 or 59 seats. The Saxon state parliament normally consists of 120 seats.