High-profile Die Linke cadre Gregor Gysi blames Chancellor Angela Merkel for the IMF-ECB-EC “troika’s” failure and accused his government of seeking a confrontation with Greece.

“The troika’s policy has failed and so has Merkel, since she has created this policy,” he told the “Die Zeit” daily. He also accused the troika of demolishing countries’ economies instead of rebuilding debt-laden states.

New Greek PM Alexis Tsipras will try to cooperate more closely with Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France, was Gysi’s take, while he said other indebted countries could follow the example of Greece and also distance themselves from the German Chancellor. “This could push Merkel in the corner,” he said.

Die Linke was formed by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and the … old East German communist party regime.