German captain in a migrant rescue standoff will run for the European Parliament

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This article was published 17/07/2023 (872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BERLIN (AP) — Carola Rackete, who as captain of a humanitarian rescue ship was arrested in 2019 for docking in an Italian port without authorization, was presented Monday as one of a struggling German left-wing party’s top candidates for next year’s European Parliament election.

The Left party unveiled Rackete as one of its two lead candidates in the election expected in the spring of 2024, alongside party co-leader Martin Schirdewan, who is already a European Parliament lawmaker.

Rackete wrote on Twitter that she “didn’t take the decision lightly” and said she views her candidacy as an opportunity for a “new partnership” between social movements and the Left party.

The party has been struggling for years and only just mustered enough support to stay represented in the German parliament in the last national election in 2021.

Polls have shown its support stagnating at around 4% or 5%. Its position has been weakened further by a festering public rift between the leadership and one of its best-known figures, Sahra Wagenknecht. She has been publicly toying with the idea of founding a new party and has differed with many members on issues including migration, on which she favors a more restrictive approach.

Rackete came to public attention when, as the captain of the Sea Watch 3 rescue ship in 2019, she was held under house arrest for four days for forcing the vessel into port on Italy’s Lampedusa island after 17 days at sea with 40 migrants aboard. She is also an activist against climate change.

The Left party’s list of candidates for the European Parliament election is to be formally approved by a party convention in November.