The Berlin Left has not expelled Vanessa Emde from its parliamentary group. Its leadership has decided to prepare an expulsion motion, but at least two-thirds of group members would have to support it. Der Spiegel reports that such a majority is far from assured.
That makes Luigi Pantisano's defence of the slow process more than a procedural footnote. The party co-chair said on Saturday that elected representatives cannot be removed from a parliamentary group at the snap of a finger, arguing that parties and groups have set procedures, deadlines and rules.
He has a valid point. A parliamentary group should not bypass due process simply because an internal dispute is politically costly. But procedure is not politically neutral here: the group leadership has chosen to draft a motion, signalling that it wants to turn criticism of Emde into a formal decision.
Emde won a direct mandate in Berlin's Neukölln district in the September 20 state election. She has faced criticism over comments on the Middle East conflict. Der Spiegel reports allegations that she questioned Israel's right to exist, and that Gregor Gysi accused her of antisemitism. The supplied material does not include the proposed motion, the full underlying comments or a complete account of Emde's response.
The immediate issue for Berlin's government formation is therefore not merely whether the party leadership wants Emde out. It is whether it can assemble the votes to do it. Until a motion is presented and the two-thirds threshold is tested, the leadership cannot treat the exclusion as settled or calculate its consequences for potential parliamentary majorities as though they were settled either.
Sources
- Der Spiegel · Source date: 2026-11-14
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14