The BSW party in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, alongside party founder Sahra Wagenknecht, has proposed appointing former Chancellors Angela Merkel (CDU) and Gerhard Schröder (SPD) as mediators between Russia and Ukraine. According to an internal working paper from the potential future BSW parliamentary group, cited by the “Welt” newspaper, the incoming regional government should launch a “Peace Initiative to end the Ukraine War.”
Sabine Firnhaber and Peter Schabbel, both leaders of the regional BSW, wrote in the document that the state government should endeavor to utilize the former chancellors as peace mediators, suggesting that both possess the authority needed to achieve genuine diplomatic progress.
This detailed document, titled “10 Points for a Political New Beginning in MV – The BSW Group’s Working Program for the Schwerin State Parliament until Christmas,” also calls for the termination of Russian sanctions and a halt to Western military shipments to Ukraine. Furthermore, the paper advocates for resuming the import of Russian gas via the Nord Stream pipeline. The guiding principle is encapsulated by the motto, “Think more about Anklam than about Kyiv,” asserting that no more money should be spent on the conflict.
The document argues that the massive arms checks not only increase the risk of Germany becoming a battleground if the Russian superpower is attacked with German weapons and funding, but they also financially strain the state as public money is spent on this scale when it is needed elsewhere. This proposal to involve Schröder as a mediator has previously been mirrored by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May.
Wagenknecht told the “Welt” that they seek a non-partisan chief minister who can utilize Merkel and Schröder as peace mediators. She believes both figures have the authority necessary to restart dialogue with Moscow, thereby stopping the dangerous spiral of escalation and ending the violence in Ukraine. Wagenknecht intends to denounce current sanctions against Russia, stating that “Russian sanctions have not ended the war; they are ruining German industry.”
In line with this agenda, the BSW demands that Nord Stream be restarted to provide access to affordable gas, and that Russian oil be once again imported to help lower fuel prices. Wagenknecht hopes for a sweeping “political new beginning for the entire country,” starting from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The BSW advocates for a concept of a “non-partisan chief minister,” similar to that promoted in Saxony-Anhalt, emphasizing a system that would work with changing majorities, potentially even incorporating the AfD. The prospective BSW parliamentary group would operate under this same philosophy. The paper states, “Whoever agrees to our motions, agrees. We do not look at who agrees, but only at what is being voted on.” It describes this unideological, “anti-borderwall mode with shifting majorities” as a genuine opportunity for democratic renewal in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In addition to these geopolitical and political demands, the BSW is also calling for several economic and social reforms. They seek a “fuel price cap” of 1.50 euros per liter to be achieved through a Federal Council initiative. Farmers should receive agricultural diesel that is exempt from energy taxes. A “family relief package” is also proposed, which would include free lunches for schoolchildren and free public transport for students and trainees. Further demands include a “fundamental” reform of public broadcasting, the establishment of a COVID inquiry committee, and the introduction of a “billionaires tax.”
