Janine Wissler

Janine Natalie Wißler (born 23 May 1981), known professionally as Janine Wissler, is a German politician who has been co-chairwoman of The Left and member of the Bundestag for Hesse since 2021. Prior to that, she served as member of the Landtag of Hesse since 2008 and leader of the state parliamentary group since 2009, including as sole leader since 2014, as well as deputy leader of the federal party since 2014. She was one of The Left's lead candidates for the 2021 German federal election, alongside Dietmar Bartsch. Education and personal life Wissler attended the Dreieich Wingert School from 1987 to 1991 and the Dreieich Ricarda Huch School from 1991 to 2001. She then completed a degree in political science from 2001 to 2012 at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. In addition to her studies, she worked as a part-time specialist saleswoman in a hardware store from 2002 to 2007. From 2005 to 2008, she also worked in the constituency office of Bundestag deputy Werner Dreibus. She is also a member of the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action and the trade union ver.di. Political career In 2004, Wissler co-founded the Hessian branch of the Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (WASG), a left-wing split from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and joined The Left when WASG merged into it in 2007. At its founding congress, Wissler was elected as one of the 44 members of the party executive committee. In the 2008 Hessian state election, she was one of six Left party deputies elected. She retained her seat in the 2009, 2013, and 2018 elections. She was deputy leader of the parliamentary group from 2008 to 2009, then became co-leader of the group alongside Willi van Ooyen in February 2009. In 2011, Wissler became leader of the Left party's local branch in the Hessian city of Frankfurt am Main. She ran for mayor of Frankfurt am Main in the 2012 and 2018 elections. In 2012, she placed fifth with 3.8% of the vote; in 2018, she placed fourth with 8.8%.