After the early elections in February, the Left Party's top candidate, Cansu Özdemir, moved from the Hamburg State Parliament to the Bundestag. Following her unexpected election to the federal parliament, she is now taking on an important role: today, she was elected as the foreign affairs spokesperson for the Left Party faction in the Bundestag. Sshe announced on social media that she would contribute the party’s position to future foreign policy decision-making “always critically and from a feminist perspective.”

In her role, Özdemir will now be responsible for North Africa, the Near and Middle East, and China. As a member of the Kurdish diaspora, she is aware of how global conflicts can have local effects. The Middle East, with which she has a personal connection, is a region where people continue to suffer from violence, occupation, and political repression.

She approaches her new responsibilities with a clear stance: “Foreign policy is never neutral. It is a choice in favor of human rights.” In this spirit, she stated that, as a future member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, she will not tolerate double standards, but will consistently defend democracy, even when it is uncomfortable.

Özdemir believes that a critical and feminist voice in foreign policy is more important than ever, especially in light of comments made by the new Foreign Minister Wadephul, which she summarizes as “more escalation. Less diplomacy.” Her guiding principle: “A clear no to war, oppression, and silence.”

Özdemir says she attended demonstrations in a stroller as a baby. As the child of Kurdish parents and grandchild of migrant workers from Altona, politics has always been part of her life. Born in Hamburg-Altona in 1988, she became politically active as a teenager in the Kurdish women's movement and helped organize campaigns against femicides, among other efforts.

She has been a member of the Hamburg Parliament since 2011 and, since 2015, co-chair of the Die Linke-Left Party’s parliamentary group. As a politician, she focused on social issues, justice, inclusion, anti-discrimination, feminism, and domestic policy. Alongside her parliamentary work, activism has always remained a key part of her political life. For years, she has advocated for peace in Kurdistan and regularly participates in protests against war and human rights violations.

In the February federal election, the Kurdish politician was listed in second place behind Left Party co-chair Jan van Aken.