Wagenknecht wants to shape German politics with a new “people’s party”
Published: Monday, Jan 8th 2024, 16:01
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The new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) wants to establish itself as the "people's party" in Germany for the next 30 to 40 years and fundamentally change politics. This was announced by former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht and her fellow campaigners on Monday.
Prior to this, 44 initial members had formally founded the BSW as a party in Berlin and elected the first board. Wagenknecht herself leads the new party in a dual leadership with Amira Mohamed Ali, the former chairwoman of the now dissolved left-wing parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
BSW's leading candidates for the European elections are to be former Left Party politician Fabio De Masi and long-time SPD politician Thomas Geisel. The new party wants to run for the first time in the European elections on June 9, and later also in the East German state elections in September. However, Wagenknecht herself does not want to stand as a candidate, but wants to remain in the Bundestag.
"Fundamentally changing politics in our country"
At the launch, the 54-year-old said it was "a bit of a historic day" that "we are laying the foundations for a party that has the potential to fundamentally change the German party spectrum and, above all, fundamentally change politics in our country".
At a two-hour press conference in Berlin, she repeated her harsh criticism of the German governing coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP and expressed her support for the farmers' protests, among other things. "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 is to be developed together with citizens and experts. Initially, the outline of some important positions published in October was retained. These include limiting migration "to a level that does not overburden our country and its infrastructure". The aim is also "well-paid, secure jobs", a "fair tax system", investment in education and infrastructure, higher unemployment and pension insurance benefits. The BSW does not support the current climate policy of turning away from the combustion engine and switching completely to renewable energies.
In terms of foreign policy, the BSW is against the supply of weapons to Ukraine and calls for immediate peace negotiations. The five-page program states: "We fundamentally reject the resolution of conflicts by military means." The new party positions itself against NATO and argues that the alliance "fuels feelings of threat and defensive reactions and thus contributes to global instability". What is needed is a "defensively oriented defense alliance".
Member of the Bundestag Sevim Dagdelen, a member of the BSW, sharply criticized the possible delivery of Eurofighter combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia. "The delivery of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia is a political and moral revelation on the part of the German government," Dagdelen told 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 Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. The sum is comparatively small for the upcoming election campaigns. If the BSW wins a substantial proportion of the votes, the party will receive money from state party funding in future.
In an Insa survey for "Bild" in December, the BSW scored 12 percent nationwide - but as the party had not yet been founded and the official program was unknown, these poll results are subject to particular uncertainties.
The deputy chairman of the BSW is the entrepreneur and university professor Shervin Haghsheno, the general secretary is Christian Leye, member of the Bundestag. According to Leye, the first party conference will take place on January 27.
©Keystone/SDA
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