Lafontaine leaves vacuum on the left

Oskar Lafontaine, the star of Germany's recent elections and an inspirational figure for politicians in other countries, has announced that he is suffering from cancer and intends to withdraw from federal politics. Now the far-left Die Linkeparty, which he founded with other communists from the former DDR in 2007, will have to deal with what Frankfurter Rundschau has dubbed "the Lafontaine factor." The daily notes that the January 23 announcement has deprived Die Linke "of the source of most of its support in Western Germany." Lafontaine had forged a reputation as a "firebrand," notably for leaving the government and the SPD when Gerhard Schröder refused to regulate financial markets ten years before the 2008 crash. Without him, his comrades are unlikely to make much headway. "The era when Die Linke benefited from the support of disappointed East Germans and a protest vote against Schröder's policies has come to a close," notes Frankfurter Rundschau. "Other party members will no longer be able to hide in the shadow of Lafontaine," and Die Linke "will be forced to make good on its pledge to present a credible democratic alternative to the SPD."