The German Heinz Bierbaum (Die Linke) was elected (98 votes to 33, 16 abstentions) after the 6th Congress of the Party of the European Left (PEL) on Sunday 15 December as President of the European party, succeeding his compatriot Gregor Gysi.
Heinz Bierbaum, 73, is currently in charge of international relations for the German left-wing party Die Linke. Previously, he was General Secretary of the powerful IG Metall trade union in the Frankfurt region and Regional Deputy for the Saarland,...