Alliance yes, but only to our liking – that is roughly what Sahra Wagenknecht is promising to potential coalition partners. One point is particularly important to the BSW boss.
BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht only wants to enter into alliances after the state elections in eastern Germany if her party’s foreign policy demands are anchored in the coalition agreement. “We will only enter into a coalition with parties with whom we can agree on a joint contract that also contains our political priorities,” Wagenknecht told the AFP news agency. This also includes foreign policy – “that is an important question for us.”
Wagenknecht: Renunciation of US missiles and Ukraine aid must be included in coalition agreement
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) rejects the planned stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany and further arms deliveries to Ukraine. “Of course, the coalition agreement must contain a position on these issues,” stressed the party leader. A future state government must also advocate for these issues at the federal level – for Wagenknecht, “a condition for our participation in a state government.”
State elections
These candidates are on the list in Thuringia
The BSW boss rejected criticism that the demands she made could not be implemented at the state level: “But a state government can raise its voice and throw its weight into the balance to achieve a change in policy,” she said. The BSW does not promise that federal policy will change immediately with its election, but that a state government with BSW participation “will work to ensure that policy changes.”
With regard to possible coalition governments, Wagenknecht appealed primarily to the Christian Democrats. “I hope that after the election the CDU will also see its responsibility in forming a stable government.” In Thuringia in particular, after five years of minority government, people hope that a stable government capable of gaining a majority will be formed after the election.
Elections in East Germany: Alliance with BSW only with Wagenknecht’s blessing
The party leader recently announced that she would like to have a say in possible coalition negotiations. Anyone who wants to form a coalition with the BSW must also talk to her, the Bundestag MP told AFP. However, she will not “sit at the table in every coalition meeting,” she now clarified. She cannot come to Saxony or Thuringia every time during the budget discussions in the Bundestag, which begin in September. However, she will “make all decisions in close consultation” with the top candidates on site.
Wagenknecht is sticking to the plan to rename the party after the federal election. It would “certainly make sense if we as a faction are strong in the next Bundestag” to find a new name. “Because then there will be more and more people supporting the party.” She also “simply does not want to be involved in politics for the next 30 years.” However, the abbreviation BSW will be retained – “we are happy when it slowly becomes ingrained in people’s minds that we are the BSW.”
In Thuringia and Saxony, new state parliaments will be elected on Sunday. In both states, the AfD is leading in the polls, followed by the CDU and then the BSW.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
