Zhou Miao: Rising Overall Strength and Significant Regional Differences—New Trends in Foreign Left-Wing Movements in 2022
In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to linger and drag on, while the Ukraine crisis persisted, rendering the global security situation even more complex and volatile. The global deficits in peace, development, and governance intensified, and human society faced unprecedented challenges. The development of foreign leftist forces also confronted various risks and challenges; they responded actively in both theory and practice in hopes of making a difference and seeking greater space for development. Faced with a complex international situation, world leftist forces urgently need to engage in exchange and mutual learning, build consensus, and make new adjustments and responses to promote world peace, stability, and development.
North American and European Left: Intensifying Political Struggles with the Right
In recent years, as the structural crisis of capitalism in Western countries has continued to evolve and political turmoil has intensified, leftist forces in North America and Europe have also been in a state of upheaval and change, fragmentation and reorganization. Social protest movements in Europe and America have surged, providing certain opportunities and space for the development of leftist forces. In the United Kingdom, low pay and persistent inflation caused the largest scale of strikes in decades. Ordinary workers from various industries—including nurses, dockworkers, airport workers, subway drivers, bus drivers, firefighters, and miners—carried out strike movements under the leadership of trade unions. Leftist forces such as the Communist Party of Britain, the Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), and the Young Communist League participated and played an active role. In November 2022, the University and College Union in the UK organized a strike of over 70,000 university staff, affecting 2.5 million students across 150 universities—the "largest strike in the history of higher education" in the UK. In France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the leftist party "La France Insoumise" (France Unbowed), along with other progressives, called on the masses to launch a general strike. On October 16, 2022, tens of thousands of people held demonstrations in Paris. On October 18, demonstrations broke out again across France, with many protesters clashing with police; a total of approximately 300,000 people participated. On October 27, thousands of workers marched in Paris demanding wage increases. Statistics from the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) showed that on that same day, over 100,000 people participated in protest activities across France.
In North America, the "Poor People's Campaign" in the United States organized a large-scale march in Washington on June 18, 2022, with thousands of participants. The American leftist political organization "Democratic Socialists of America" (DSA) has developed rapidly, actively participating in American political life and organizing numerous social movements; its membership climbed quickly from over 60,000 in 2019 to 92,000 in 2022. The membership of the Communist Party USA also grew rapidly from 5,000 in 2018 to 11,000 in 2022. Furthermore, the number of seats held by the Progressive Caucus within the U.S. Democratic Party in Congress increased to 101 in March 2022, surpassing the moderate caucus for the first time. This caucus advocates for resolving poverty and income inequality, eliminating structural racism, cutting military spending, and strengthening supervision of financial institutions, while opposing "revolving door" [1] politics and the privileges of the wealthy; its first chairperson was the leftist Senator Bernie Sanders. In Canada, the leftist party Québec Solidaire gained one additional seat in the Quebec provincial elections held in October 2022, winning a total of 11 seats and ranking third in the legislature.
In Europe, the tendency toward a structural rightward shift in the political arena is very evident. Far-right parties in countries such as France, Spain, Italy, and Sweden have developed rapidly and taken power in some nations. The problem of leftist fragmentation remains severe, and leftist forces exhibit starkly different developmental trends: the influence of Green parties, which align with environmental demands, continues to rise, while traditional leftist parties such as Social Democratic and Socialist parties lack developmental momentum. Currently, the developmental domestic situations of European leftist parties can be roughly divided into three categories.
The first category consists of leftist parties that are developing rapidly in their own countries or specific regions, successfully obtaining governing status, or exerting significant influence on the political landscape despite not being in power. In the UK, Sinn Féin—a leftist party advocating for Northern Ireland’s withdrawal from the UK—defeated the pro-British right-wing Democratic Unionist Party in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections held in May 2022, becoming the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. In France, "La France Insoumise" has developed rapidly. In the National Assembly elections held in June 2022, the "New Ecologic and Social People's Union" (NUPES)—composed of leftist parties including La France Insoumise, the Socialist Party, the Communist Party, and the Greens—performed remarkably well. Their seats surged from the previous 57 to 142, leaping to become the second-largest group in the National Assembly and directly leading to a "hung parliament." In Malta, the leftist Labour Party won again in the general election held in March 2022, and Labour leader and Prime Minister Robert Abela was successfully re-elected. In Serbia, the Serbian Progressive Party led by Aleksandar Vučić won the presidential election again, while the election alliance led by Ivica Dačić, chairman of the leftist Socialist Party of Serbia (a governing ally of the Progressive Party), obtained 31 seats in the parliamentary elections. The Socialist Party originated from the League of Communists of Serbia; after this election, it collaborated again with the Progressive Party to form a new government, and Dačić successfully became First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The second category includes cases where leftist parties hold governing positions, but right-wing forces—especially far-right forces—are developing with strong momentum, severely challenging the left's governing status. In Germany, "Die Linke" (The Left party), the successor to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (the former ruling party of East Germany), lost all its seats in the Saarland state parliament. Conversely, the influence of the Green Party has significantly increased, with its seats in some state parliaments growing substantially; in the Schleswig-Holstein elections, it defeated the Social Democratic Party to become the second-largest party in the state parliament. In Portugal, the Socialist Party, a leftist party led by António Costa, won 120 of the 230 paraliamentary seats in the January 2022 elections, successfully forming a majority government. However, the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU), a leftist electoral alliance composed of the Portuguese Communist Party and the Ecologist Party "The Greens," suffered a heavy blow, with its seats falling from 12 to 6. In Spain, Pedro Sánchez, candidate of the leftist Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), won the 2019 Spanish general election and became Prime Minister, but the right-wing People's Party (PP) shows a clear trend of recovery, and the emerging far-right party VOX has leaped to become the third-largest party in the country. In the elections in Spain’s Castile and León region in February 2022 and the Andalusia region in June, the PP defeated the PSOE, and VOX's influence continued to climb; the developmental prospects for leftist parties are not optimistic. In Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, candidate of the leftist Austrian Green Party, was successfully re-elected as President, but the largest party in parliament is the right-wing Austrian People's Party, and the Federal Chancellor is Karl Nehammer, chairman of the People's Party. In Denmark, the Social Democratic Party, a leftist party led by Mette Frederiksen, again became the largest party in the November 2022 parliamentary elections, but the seats held by the right-wing Liberal Alliance grew significantly, and the newly formed right-wing Denmark Democrats leaped to become the fifth-largest party in parliament; the challenges facing leftist parties are not small.
The third category covers regions where right-wing forces, particularly far-right forces, continue to develop while the left has lost governing power or is increasingly withered. In Italy, the center-right alliance composed of Brothers of Italy, the League, and Forza Italia won the election, with Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy becoming the largest party in parliament with 26% of the vote. In Sweden, a right-wing alliance composed of the Sweden Democrats, the Christian Democrats, the Moderate Party, and the Liberals ended eight years of leftist rule in the September 2022 general election; among them, the far-right Sweden Democrats saw their support surge, replacing the Moderate Party as the second-largest party in parliament. In the Czech Republic, leftist influence is very limited; in the September 2022 Senate elections for one-third of the seats, all 27 seats were won by right-wing parties, leaving the leftist parties empty-handed. In Latvia, the Social Democratic Party "Harmony," previously the largest party in parliament, lost all its seats in the election; the left suffered a severe blow, and right-wing forces generally dominate the political landscape. In Bulgaria, the right wing occupies the mainstream, and the influence of the far-right "Revival" party is rising rapidly.
Leftists in Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East: Seeking Development Amidst Crisis
In 2022, several countries in Asia and Oceania held elections, and the developmental trend of leftist forces was generally stable. Although leftist forces in Japan, South Korea, and India did not perform well in elections, they still exert considerable influence within their own countries. Leftist forces in Oceanian countries such as Australia and Papua New Guinea have continued to develop and won victories in elections. In Japan, the 26th House of Councillors election was held on July 10, 2022; the emerging leftist party Reiwa Shinsengumi gained three seats, while the support rates for the traditional leftist forces, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party, again showed varying degrees of decline. In South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate of the right-wing People Power Party, narrowly defeated Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the leftist Democratic Party of Korea, in the March 2022 presidential election.
In India, there is a multitude of political parties, among which the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Modi holds a dominant position. The overall developmental trend of leftist forces has been poor in recent years, but they still possess some influence. In July and August 2022, BJP candidates Droupadi Murmu and Jagdeep Dhankhar were elected President and Vice President, respectively, with absolute majorities. Furthermore, since the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) lost its governing status in the state of Tripura in 2018, it lost another seat in the Tripura Legislative Assembly by-election held in June 2022. However, the CPI(M) currently still has significant influence: the Left Democratic Front it leads has achieved consecutive governance in Kerala; the "Grand Alliance" involving the CPI(M), the CPI, and the CPI(ML) governs in Bihar; and the United Progressive Alliance, a center-left alliance in which the CPI(M) participates, governs in Rajasthan. Simultaneously, the Indian left possesses strong mobilization power in organizing protest activities. In March 2022, several trade unions affiliated with the CPI(M) and the center-left Indian National Congress organized a nationwide general strike to protest the policies of the Modi government. The CPI(M) called it "one of the largest general strikes in the history of the Indian working class," and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions stated that approximately 250 million people participated. In Nepal, due to internal strife among various factions of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) and continuous interference from external forces such as the U.S. and India, the center-left Nepali Congress became the largest party in the elections held in November 2022; the seats won by the CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist), CPN (Maoist Centre), and CPN (Unified Socialist) all significantly declined. Although the Democratic Left Alliance—composed of the Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre), and CPN (Unified Socialist)—won the election, power-sharing negotiations between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) broke down afterward. In the resulting "hung parliament," the CPN (Maoist Centre) announced a new ruling alliance with the former opposition party CPN (UML), and Prachanda, leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre), assumed the post of Prime Minister. In Malaysia, the center-left political alliance Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) won the most seats in the November 2022 general election but failed to win a simple majority, leading to Malaysia's first "搬ung parliament." Ultimately, under the appointment of Malaysia's Supreme Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Abdullah, the Pakatan Harapan candidate Anwar Ibrahim became the new Prime Minister. In Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, candidate of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), defeated Francisco Guterres "Lú-Olo," candidate of the leftist FRETILIN, in the second round of the April 2022 presidential election.
In Australia, Anthony Albanese, candidate of the leftist Australian Labor Party, won the federal parliamentary election in May 2022 and took office as Prime Minister. In this election, the influence of the leftist Australian Greens continued to climb, and they now possess a total of 12... [text ends abruptly]
With 4 senators and 4 members of the House of Representatives, the Greens have become a significant domestic left-wing force in Australia. In Papua New Guinea, the National Parliament elections were held in July 2022; the seats held by the Pangu Pati, a left-wing party, rose sharply from 9 to 39, jumping to become the largest party in parliament. In this election, the Social Democratic Party, the United Labour Party, and the Greens all performed well, seeing increases in their seat counts. In 2022, due to the intensification of conflicts between domestic political factions and meddling by the United States behind the scenes, the Middle East remained turbulent and plagued by war, yet left-wing forces forged ahead through the difficulties. In Lebanon, sectarian parties hold far greater influence than left-wing parties. Since the political crisis erupted in 2019, the political situation has remained volatile with frequent changes of prime ministers. It was not until May 2022 that the first parliamentary elections were held, in which neither the Hezbollah nor the Lebanese Forces blocs managed to secure a majority. Lebanon, with its persistent economic slump, fell into a political stalemate. However, it is worth noting that the Lebanese Communist Party historicallly won one seat in this election, and the Progressive Socialist Party, another left-wing party, secured eight seats. In Israel, the right-wing Likud bloc, led by former Prime Minister Netanyahu, maintained its status as the largest party in the parliamentary elections held in November 2022, and Netanyahu once again served as Prime Minister. In this election, far-right parties rose powerfully; the Religious Zionist Party saw a sharp increase in seats, jumping to become the third-largest party in parliament. Meanwhile, left-wing forces represented by Hadash-Ta'al, the Israeli Labor Party, and Meretz suffered heavy losses.
Latin American Left: Welcoming a New "Pink Tide" [2]
In recent years, the outbreak of a series of events such as the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the systemic crises in Latin American economy and society, accelerating the "pendulum effect" [3] in Latin American politics. In 2022, left-wing political movements continued to sweep across the Latin American continent with unstoppable momentum. In Colombia, left-wing forces achieved significant development. In the parliamentary elections held in March 2022, left-wing forces represented by the Historic Pact for Colombia coalition, the Liberal Party, and the Coalition of Hope and Hope Center all saw varying degrees of seat increases. Subsequently, Gustavo Petro, the candidate for the left-wing electoral alliance Historic Pact for Colombia, won the second round of the presidential election in June, becoming Colombia's first left-wing president in the post-war era. In Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the candidate for the left-wing Workers' Party, defeated the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro in the second round of the presidential election on October 30, 2022, marking the return of the left to power in Brazil, the largest country in Latin America. In Barbados, the left-wing Barbados Labour Party led by Mia Mottley won all seats in the House of Assembly in the January 2022 parliamentary elections, and Mottley secured a second term as Prime Minister with an overwhelming advantage. In Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, leader of the left-wing Dominica Labour Party, won the general election in December 2022 and took office as Prime Minister again. To date, countries including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, and Nicaragua are all governed by left-wing forces. Over 80% of the Latin American population lives in countries under left-wing governance, and the Latin American left-wing political movement has ushered in a historic climax. Although the new wave of the left has greatly changed the regional balance of political forces, left-wing parties still face severe tests in governance. In December 2022, Peru's left-wing president Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress but was impeached, removed from office, and arrested by military police. Currently, the left-wing alliance holds only one-third of the seats in Congress, and the right-wing opposition led by Keiko Fujimori remains the dominant force, leaving the left-wing forces facing many constraints. Looking at the development prospects of the new "Pink Tide," although Latin America possesses the objective conditions for the growth of the left, deep-seated economic malaise is difficult to reverse. Left-wing parties also face internal issues such as corruption in their party building [4]. Furthermore, right-wing forces pursue fierce containment, and intervention from external forces like the United States is continuous. The "pendulum effect" in politics will be difficult to eliminate in the short term.
African Left: Steadily Expanding Influence
The history of left-wing movements in Africa is very long, and in recent years, notable development achievements have been secured. In 2022, elections were held in many African countries; although left-wing forces encountered certain challenges, they generally maintained a good trend of steady development. In the Republic of the Congo, left-wing forces hold a dominant position. The Congolese Party of Labour, a left-wing party led by Denis Sassou Nguesso, won 112 seats in the parliamentary elections held in July 2022, while the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy, the second-largest party and also a left-wing party, won seven seats. In Senegal, the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF), a left-wing party founded in 2014, has developed rapidly in recent years. In 2017, the party won only one seat in the parliamentary election, but in the July 2022 election, it historically won 56 seats, jumping to become the second-largest party in parliament. In Angola, João Lourenço, the candidate for the left-wing People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), was successfully re-elected as President. The party also won 124 seats in the 2022 parliamentary elections, successfully maintaining its status as the largest party. Notably, the right-wing National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) continued its upward trend since 2012, with its seats rapidly increasing from 51 in 2017 to 90, firmly holding the position of the second-largest party and posing an expanding threat to the left. In Kenya, Raila Odinga, the candidate for the left-wing Orange Democratic Movement, lost by a narrow margin to William Ruto, the candidate for the right-wing United Democratic Alliance, in the August 2022 presidential election. However, the Azimio la Umoja coalition led by Odinga and the Kenya Kwanza alliance led by Ruto essentially formed a balanced political landscape in the parliamentary elections; both alliances held 33 seats in the Senate, and in the National Assembly, they held 158 and 179 seats, respectively. In Lesotho, the Revolution for Prosperity party, established only in March 2022, won 56 seats in the October parliamentary elections, leaping to become the largest party. The Democratic Congress, a left-wing party, won 29 seats, maintaining its status as the second-largest party. The emerging left-wing parties Basotho Action Party and Socialist Revolutionaries won 6 and 2 seats respectively, ranking fourth and eighth in parliament.
Currently, left-wing forces in some African countries are also facing a crisis of decline. In The Gambia, the newly formed National People's Party led by incumbent President Adama Barrow won the parliamentary elections in April 2022 with 18 seats, while the left-wing United Democratic Party and the People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism suffered setbacks, winning 15 and 2 seats, respectively—decreases of 16 and 2 seats compared to the previous election. In São Tomé and Príncipe, the Independent Democratic Action party, considered a centrist party, won 30 seats in the September 2022 parliamentary elections, securing a majority, while the seats held by the left-wing Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe – Social Democratic Party fell from 23 to 18.
Conclusion
At present, the political game between the left and right across the world is becoming increasingly complex, and left-wing forces face many new opportunities and challenges. Regarding opportunities, the political and economic crises spreading across the US and the West provide a social foundation for the revival of left-wing forces. In recent years, complex factors such as the lingering pandemic, great power competition, and the Ukraine crisis have intertwined and resonated, leading to a global economic recession, extreme polarization of wealth, and a sharp rise in the cost of living. These issues have caused strong public discontent. In 2022, labor movements and protest activities in many countries, including the US, the UK, France, and India, saw huge increases in both density and scale, and public support for labor unions significantly improved. A 2022 Gallup annual survey showed that support for US labor unions reached a record 71%, its highest level since 1965. Social protest movements triggered by political and economic crises are important forms of exposing the internal contradictions of capitalism, expressing left-wing propositions, and promoting institutional construction. Looking ahead, the prospects for global economic recovery are unpredictable, and social fractures will likely be difficult to heal in the short term, presenting new development opportunities for left-wing forces.
Regarding challenges, although exchanges between the global left are becoming increasingly close, internal divisions have become the greatest obstacle to a large-scale union of foreign left-wing forces. In 2022, foreign left-wing forces held in-depth exchanges and discussions on major theoretical and practical issues through hosting the World Social Forum, the 7th "Shared Vision of the Left" seminar, the Internationalism and Anti-Imperialism International Conference, and the 6th European Left Forum. They achieved new developments in their reflection, critique, and transformation of capitalism, creating favorable conditions for deepening theoretical research, strengthening organizational power, and increasing comprehensive influence. However, the global left has some divisions regarding the nature of the Ukraine crisis. Left-wing forces in Southern countries, represented by India, Vietnam, South Africa, and Bolivia, hold a relatively positive evaluation of Russia, while left-wing forces in Northern countries are mostly critical of Russia. In fact, various divisions and debates within the left-wing camp have a long history and are widespread. Facing the new opportunities and challenges brought by the volatile situation, the left in all countries should distinguish between the "mainstream and the tributaries" [5], set aside disputes, strengthen the exchange and mutual learning of theory and action strategies, and move forward on the basis of consolidating consensus. Especially in the face of increasingly fierce clashes in political ideological trends, left-wing forces need to reflect on how to promote left-wing unity through new organizational forms and strategic thinking, replacing "competitive confrontation" with "solidarity and symbiosis," and avoiding "self-limitation by drawing ones' own boundaries" [6].