Die Linke, which was formed in 2007 with the merger of two left-wing political groupings from former east and west Germany, should recover its eastern identity, Gysi wrote in a contribution to the weekly magazine Superillu that was released on Wednesday ahead of publication.

The party saw its support plunge to 4.9 per cent in Sunday’s elections from 9.2 per cent in 2017. Parties securing less than 5 per cent nationwide are normally excluded from entering parliament, but Die Linke will be able to send members to the Bundestag as Gysi and two other candidates managed to secure direct mandates.

The party initially drew most of its support in the former eastern states, but has sought to broaden its appeal.

It had been a mistake to downgrade the party’s eastern identity, Gysi wrote. This had allowed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to take on the role of representing eastern voters, he argued.

He also called for a motion to be tabled once a month in the Bundestag on the situation in the country’s former eastern states, which have seen their youth emigrate to the west and where many still feel left behind following German reunification in 1990.