The Party of the European Left was created as a political party at the level of the European Union for Democratic Socialist parties and Communist parties. Some of its members are part of the even more radical European Anti-Capitalist Left. In the 2004 European parliament elections it gained 5,512,904 votes which was 3.6% of the voters to give it 17 seats. At this level it joins with other parties in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left. Die Linke is the most popular party in its home nation of any EL member-parties.