10 Facts About Martin Schirdewan

Martin Schirdewan was born on 12 July 1975 and is a German journalist and politician who served as of The Left from June 2022 to October 2024.

Martin Schirdewan has sat as a Member of the European Parliament since 2017, and was elected co-chair of The Left in the European Parliament parliamentary group in 2019.

Between 2001 and 2008, Schirdewan was editor of the magazine, published by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

From 2012 to 2015 and again in 2018, Martin Schirdewan served on the party executive of The Left.

Since being appointed to the European Parliament, Martin Schirdewan has served as a member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and as a substitute for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

Martin Schirdewan was one of The Left's top candidates in the 2019 European Parliament election in Germany alongside Ozlem Demirel.

At a federal Left congress in June 2022, Martin Schirdewan was elected co-leader of the party with alongside incumbent Janine Wissler.

Martin Schirdewan was challenged by several candidates, including Soren Pellmann, who won 176 votes.

On 2 March 2022, Martin Schirdewan was one of 13 MEPs who voted against a motion condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Martin Schirdewan is a grandson of East German politician Karl Martin Schirdewan and his wife Gisela.