Linke Evolution?

 After East and West Germany unified.....the Linke Party was forged....to be the new far left core party of what remained out of both 'states.

In the 1990s....when elections occurred....the Linke Party could mount great numbers in the eastern part of Germany, and crappy numbers in western Germany.

In the 2005 national election....they were able to get near 8-percent of the national vote.

In the 2009 national election....they got near 12-percent of the vote.

Last year, they dropped to 4.9-percent, and most think between the evolution of the SPD and Greens....the Linke Party may be finished when the 2025 election comes up.

What's really happened?  I would suggest four things:

1.  There's most only interest in the Linke Party in the five eastern 'states' of Germany.....marginal to zero in the other eleven.

2.  They haven't found anyone that really captivates a crowd.

3.  The core voter that might have been attracted to them twenty years ago....has changed, and that voter might have pro-capitalism, pro-commerce, and center-ideas in their mind.....which the old Linke Party of today....can't get their grip around.

4.  The Green Party has evolved enough....to seize what would have been guaranteed Linke voters back twenty years ago.

What happens in 2025, if they catch only 3 to 4 percent of the vote?  Nationally, I think they disappear entirely, and they become a big deal only in two to three eastern states.  It's not the end of the world, but it says a lot about the evolution of politics in Germany.