The chances are good for the Wagenknecht party to enter the state parliaments in the elections in the east. But the BSW is still forming. Today is the state party conference in Saxony.
The Wagenknecht party conference in Dresden is supposed to happen this weekend. This is the second attempt – the Saxon state association was originally supposed to meet at the end of April to decide on candidates and the election program for the state elections in the fall. But then everything was canceled at short notice and postponed until mid-May. “We simply needed time to coordinate our election program with Thuringia and Brandenburg,” says Saxon state chairwoman Sabine Zimmermann.
The schedule was probably too optimistic. The Saxon regional association of the “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht” (BSW) was only founded at the end of February; alongside Sabine Zimmermann, the Chemnitz entrepreneur Jörg Scheibe was elected as regional chairman. Since then, the party has continued to be built up, and local elections will also take place in Saxony at the beginning of June. The BSW will nominate candidates in almost all districts. The effort was great: the new party needed signatures for every candidate; not everyone could overcome this hurdle.
State Chairperson at the top of the list
However, the party cannot only concentrate on the local elections, because the state elections are coming up in the fall. The proposals for the state list are now available. According to information from MDR The state chairmen and deputy state chairmen from party circles run for the top places on the list. Also the draft election program that… MDR vis now ready for decision. The “Spiegel” first reported on the draft.
The paper consists of four core areas. At the top of the list are the demands for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, “without preconditions.” Even if it is emphasized that we condemn Russia’s “attack on Ukraine, which violates international law.” In addition, the party wants to work, among other things, to strengthen municipalities and to “clearly limit and clearly control migration”. Social justice and a coming to terms with the Corona period are also called for.
Sabine Zimmermann, the BSW federal chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali and Jörg Scheibe
Coalition between CDU and BSW conceivable?
According to surveys, the party in Saxony currently has a good chance of entering the state parliament. And that despite the fact that it only has 64 members in the state. Nevertheless, due to the complicated political situation, she could be faced with the question of whether she wants to enter into a coalition with the CDU in the fall.
The Saxon CDU itself is keeping a low profile, but there are overlaps in the parties’ substantive orientations. Even if the BSW program says: “Every vote for the CDU in the state elections in Saxony is also tailwind for Friedrich Merz, who wants to drag us even deeper into the Ukraine war by supplying ‘Taurus’ missiles.”
The BSW state chairwoman Zimmermann is trying to slow down the discussion about a possible coalition with the CDU. Your party is not able to get a majority. But Zimmermann also says: “If it is necessary, then we will also think about participating in a coalition.” She currently only rules out such a possibility with the AfD and – with reservations – also with the Greens.
The BSW could also be important in Thuringia
In the neighboring state of Thuringia, the party is more open when it comes to the Greens. “After the election, we will of course talk to all democratic parties. These discussions are open-ended,” says Thuringia BSW state director Katja Wolf. Like Sabine Zimmermann from Saxony, the current mayor of Eisenach is a former left-wing politician. But Wolf only resigned from the Left at the beginning of the year, surprising and disturbing many in her party at the time.
Wolf emphasizes that it is not yet about government responsibility or positions. But in Thuringia the party is currently doing much better in surveys than in Saxony. There is also the problem that after the election, a very strong AfD with Björn Höcke could face three parties each with 20 or slightly less percent of the vote: the CDU, the Left and possibly also the Wagenknecht party. Since the Left and the CDU are not yet open to a coalition, it would then depend on the BSW.
Battle votes possible for individual list positions
But there is still a long way to go until then. In Thuringia, the first date for the party conference was also canceled in order to better coordinate the election program with the state associations in Saxony and Brandenburg. Even if the party emphasizes that Thuringia wants to set its own accents. The main topic in the state election campaign at BSW should be education policy. The Thuringian regional association wants to decide on the program and state list at the beginning of June.
The extended state executive board has already agreed on a list, says Katja Wolf. It’s about professional competence and “thus the ability of a future parliamentary group to work,” she says. “It’s also about being a team player and having the most balanced list possible with regard to gender, political experience and regional location.”
However, it does not rule out alternative candidacies for individual places on the list. There could be a vote at the party conference in early June. Apparently not all candidates wanted to accept the proposed list, which should not only include party members. The BSW in Thuringia currently only has 47 members; the admission discussions are to continue after the party conference.
After the European elections, the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony will be an indicator for the Wagenknecht party of how well the party can score in individual regions. In both countries it relies primarily on a mixture of former left-wing politicians and newcomers to politics. If the party enters both state parliaments, and that is what it looks like at the moment, then it will depend above all on the experienced politicians.
Uncertainties regarding possible Government participation
However, political scientist Sven Leunig from the University of Jena sees difficulties for the party, which is only a few months old, with a view to possible participation in government. This is particularly evident in the postponed party conferences. Dem MDR said Leunig: “Obviously you need a lot more time to agree on a program.”
That is also a certain uncertainty for a possible government. “If you are involved in the government and the people themselves are not yet entirely in agreement about what they want and what they want, then it is of course extremely complicated for the partners in the coalition. Because they have to be able to rely on them. “
The Wagenknecht party is obviously aware that the political newcomers to the party will have to quickly find their way in the election campaign and later, if they are elected, in the new state parliament. After the party conference, the Thuringian regional association wants to teach its candidates media skills and offer rhetoric training, among other things. And the candidates should also, if possible, familiarize themselves with the general processes in the state parliament.