Susanne Hennig-Wellsow

Susanne Hennig-Wellsow (born Hennig on 13 October 1977) is a German politician. She was federal co-chairwoman of The Left from 2021 to 2022 and has served as a member of the Bundestag for Thuringia since 2021. Previously, she was a member of the Landtag of Thuringia from 2004 to 2021, leader of the Thuringia branch of The Left since November 2013, and leader of the state parliamentary group since December 2014. Early life and education Hennig-Wellsow was born Susanne Hennig in Demmin in 1977, then a town in East Germany. Her father did military service in the National People's Army and subsequently worked as a truck driver and police officer. Her mother was a registrar and worked in the Ministry of the Interior from the mid-1990s. Hennig graduated from Erfurt Sports High School in 1996. From 1984 to 1999, she was a competitive athlete in speed skating. In 1996, Hennig began studying educational science at the University of Erfurt, which she completed in 2001 as a graduate teacher. Hennig-Wellsow is married, has one child, and lives in Erfurt. Political career In 2001, Hennig began working for the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) parliamentary group as a research assistant for education and the media. In the 2004 Thuringian state election, she was elected to the Landtag on the PDS party list. Hennig became a member of The Left after the PDS merged into the new party, alongside left-wing dissidents (Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative) from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 2007. At this time, she co-founded the internal Anti-Capitalist Left faction but later left. In the 2009 Thurinigian state election, Hennig was re-elected to the Landtag, this time as member for the Erfurt II constituency; she defeated incumbent Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) deputy Michael Panse to win the seat. In November 2011, Hennig became deputy leader of the Thuringia branch of The Left.