Germany’s newly elected Bundestag convened for its first session on March 25, with veteran left-wing politician Gregor Gysi presiding as Seniority President. While largely a ceremonial role, his leadership sparked fierce debate due to his ties to the former East German Communist regime.
Gysi, a longtime member of Die Linke—the successor to East Germany’s ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED)—led the opening session until a new Bundestag president could be elected. His past, however, has drawn sharp criticism. The SED oversaw the German Democratic Republic’s (GDR) oppressive rule, during which political dissidents were imprisoned, executed, or gunned down while attempting to flee to the West.
Historians and critics slammed Gysi’s appointment, with Hubertus Knabe, a scholar on GDR crimes, calling it a “bad joke of history.” Others, like publicist Alexander Kissler, argued he had no moral authority to represent Germany’s parliament, given his past. Allegations have long surfaced that Gysi collaborated with the Stasi, East Germany’s notorious secret police—claims he has repeatedly denied.
In his opening speech, Gysi pushed for a German university to be named after Karl Marx, even suggesting Trier, Marx’s birthplace, as the ideal location.
The Bundestag’s rules for appointing the Seniority President were changed in 2017, shifting from the oldest MP to the longest-serving one—widely seen as a move to block a right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) member from taking the role.
The new Bundestag now has 630 MPs, 100 fewer than before, following electoral losses by the liberal FDP and leftist BSW, leaving just five major parties in the chamber: the conservative CDU, right-wing AfD, Social Democrats, Greens, and Die Link.
