The leader of the German parliamentary group “Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht” (BSW), Sahra Wagenknecht, has suggested the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) should consider coalition possibilities with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. In an interview with the German news outlet “Welt” on Saturday, Wagenknecht argued that the CDU intrinsically possesses an interest in potential alliances with the AfD, particularly given the latter’s growing influence in eastern Germany.
Wagenknecht voiced criticism regarding the prevailing approach to the AfD, suggesting that overlooking a party supported by a significant portion of the electorate – currently around a fifth of the national vote and a third in eastern regions – is damaging to democratic processes. She contended that a more constructive engagement could have potentially mitigated the party’s current strength.
Furthermore, she argued that the repeated formation of broad-based, often politically indistinct coalitions aimed at preventing the AfD from entering government has inadvertently bolstered the party’s appeal. The attempt to create these alliance structures, she suggested, has proven counterproductive, ultimately serving to strengthen the AfD’s position.
