parties
Maaßen describes Wagenknecht as a communist
“What I don’t like about her is that she’s simply a communist,” says Hans-Georg Maaßen about Sahra Wagenknecht. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa
While the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance held its first party conference, ex-secret service agent Maaßen was working on his own party project. He criticizes Wagenknecht’s past.
The Values Union Chairman Hans-Georg Maaßen has expressed skepticism about a possible collaboration with the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).
“The similarities are that Ms. Wagenknecht addresses and expresses the problems that I also see. On the other hand, her solutions (…) are from the socialist toolbox,” said the former Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to the German Press Agency. Maaßen emphasized that he was open to working with the BSW, but had doubts as to whether it would be willing to do so.
The Sahra Wagenknecht alliance met for the first time on Saturday for a party conference. The party around the former left-wing politician wants to take part in the European elections and the three upcoming East German state elections. Maaßen is also planning to found a party with his union of values.
Maaßen wants to leave the CDU
He appreciates Wagenknecht as a talented politician. “What I don’t like about her is that she’s simply a communist,” said Maaßen, referring to Wagenknecht’s time as a member of the Communist Platform (KPF) within the left. “At the analysis level you can already agree,” said Maaßen, citing the issue of migration as an example that is overwhelming Germany.
In his opinion, it would be very difficult to come together with the BSW on the solution level. “A socialist worldview and a liberal worldview do not fit well together,” he said. The Union of Values will be a “freedom party and we say we want less state. The state should withdraw.”
Maaßen reiterated the Union of Values’ claim to want to run in the three East German state elections in the fall. He left it open whether he would run for office himself – for example in the state elections in Thuringia. At a meeting in Erfurt a week ago, the Union of Values took the first step towards founding a party. On Thursday, Maaßen announced on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that he had decided to resign from the CDU.