Election campaign: Dare to do more with the state: BSW wants an “infrastructure guarantee”

More state intervention in the economy, more social security benefits, less armaments and less migration: The Sahra Wagenknecht alliance is presenting a comprehensive program for the federal election for the first time that traditionally combines left and right demands. “Welt am Sonntag” reports on this. The 39-page draft, which is to be decided on January 12th, is also available to the German Press Agency. An overview:

The BSW calls for an “infrastructure guarantee”: “We want to align health, housing, energy and water supply with the common good and not with profit.” The state should guarantee public transport, basic medical care and regionally accessible hospitals, but also shopping opportunities, leisure centers and fast internet.

Nationalization of the electricity grid

The program states that maintenance and expansion of the energy networks are public tasks. “Instead of securing dream returns for private network operators, we want to nationalize the networks and reduce network fees to a minimum.” An “industrial fund” should invest in key industries.

According to the BSW’s wishes, large companies in key sectors should be converted into “innovation-friendly foundation companies” provided they receive government support.

At the same time, the BSW also wants to push back on the state and, for example, suspend reporting obligations. “Unnecessary positions” in ministries should be eliminated. A “national day of clearing out” is to take place twice a year, during which managers in authorities look at “which rules and guidelines are no longer needed”.

Loosen the debt brake, introduce wealth tax

The BSW wants to loosen the debt brake. More debt should be taken out to invest in bridges, roads, railways, schools, housing and networks. The state should reintroduce the wealth tax: from 25 million euros with a tax rate of one percent, from 100 million euros two percent and from one billion euros three percent.

Higher pensions and a 15 euro minimum wage

The draft election program repeats the BSW’s well-known demands for higher pensions like in Austria and better health insurance benefits. Both systems are to be converted into citizens’ insurance, meaning that all employed people should pay in. Instead of citizens’ money, the BSW wants “performance-based unemployment insurance”. The party is calling for the minimum wage to be increased to 15 euros.

The BSW sees the federal education system as a “small state” of the 16 federal states. “We demand equal educational opportunities nationwide through uniform curricula and examinations,” says the draft program. Also the idea: “The federal government should pay for all children’s first year in a sports club (subsidy of up to 150 euros per year).”

Cheap gas imports and no new nuclear power plants

The BSW maintains its demand to purchase natural gas from Russia again despite the Russian attack on Ukraine. The Wagenknecht party rejects new nuclear power plants. She complains about “car hostility” and renews the call for a move away from combustion engines in Europe.

Unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine

The call for a “ceasefire without preconditions” in Ukraine and an end to arms deliveries to the attacked country are also repeated. According to the draft, no more weapons should be delivered to Israel either. The stationing of US medium-range missiles is rejected. The BSW describes itself as the “only peace party in the German Bundestag”.

Asylum rights should be further restricted

According to the draft, almost no one should receive asylum in Germany anymore: “Anyone who enters from a safe third country has no right to stay. Anyone who has no right to stay has no right to an asylum procedure and no right to social benefits.”