New alliance: Wagenknecht wants to shape politics with a new “People’s Party”.

The new alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) wants to establish itself as a “people’s party” in Germany for the next 30 to 40 years and fundamentally change politics. This was announced by the former left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and her colleagues. Previously, 44 initial members in Berlin formally founded the BSW as a party and elected the first board.

Wagenknecht himself leads the new party in a dual leadership with Amira Mohamed Ali, the former chairwoman of the now dissolved left-wing faction in the Bundestag. The BSW top candidates for the European elections are said to be the former left-wing politician Fabio De Masi and the long-time SPD politician Thomas Geisel. The new party wants to run for the first time in the European elections on June 9th, and later also in the East German state elections in September. Wagenknecht himself does not want to run for office but instead wants to remain in the Bundestag.

“Fundamentally change politics in our country”

The 54-year-old said at the founding that it was “a bit of a historic day” that “we are laying the foundation for a party that has the potential to fundamentally change the German party spectrum and, above all, fundamentally change politics in our country to change”.

At a two-hour press conference in Berlin, she repeated her sharp criticism of the traffic light coalition and, among other things, expressed support for the farmers’ protests. “You are experiencing a government that has no plan,” said Wagenknecht. The coalition is taking money out of people’s pockets and dividing the country.

Reduce migration, better pensions

The BSW has not yet presented a detailed program – according to Wagenknecht, this will be developed together with citizens and experts. Initially, the sketch of some important positions that was published in October remained. This includes limiting migration “to a level that does not overwhelm our country and its infrastructure.” The goal is also “well-paid, secure jobs,” a “fair tax system,” investments in education and infrastructure, and higher unemployment and pension insurance benefits. The BSW does not support the current climate policy with a move away from the combustion engine and a complete switch to renewable energies.

In foreign policy, the BSW is against arms deliveries to Ukraine and calls for immediate peace negotiations. The five-page program states: “We fundamentally reject the solution of conflicts by military means.” The new party is positioning itself against NATO and argues that the alliance is “stirring up feelings of threat and defensive reactions, thereby contributing to global instability.” What is needed is a “defensive defense alliance”.

Bundestag member Sevim Dagdelen, who belongs to the BSW, sharply criticized a possible delivery of Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. “The delivery of the Eurofighter to Saudi Arabia is a political and moral oath of revelation by the federal government,” said Dagdelen to the German Press Agency.

Wagenknecht and nine other members of the Bundestag left the Left party in October. The BSW was initially founded as an association to prepare the party. The association collected 1.4 million euros in donations as start-up capital for the party, as BSW treasurer Ralph Suikat told the editorial network Germany. The amount is comparatively small for the upcoming election campaigns. If the BSW wins a substantial portion of the vote, the party will receive money from state party financing in the future.

In an Insa survey for “Bild” in December, the BSW received 12 percent nationwide – since the party had not yet been founded and the official program was unknown, these survey values ​​are associated with particular uncertainties.

The deputy chairman of the BSW is the entrepreneur and university professor Shervin Haghsheno, and the secretary general is the member of the Bundestag Christian Leye. According to Leye, the first party conference will take place on January 27th.