Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the BSW party, has appealed to voters of the CDU and critics of Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, advising them to vote for the BSW on tactical grounds. Speaking to the news portal T-Online, Wagenknecht stated that “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern can overthrow Merz,” adding, “If we gain entry and the CDU is pushed out of the state parliament, Merz will be history.”
Wagenknecht further argued that many CDU supporters had switched to the BSW in Saxony-Anhalt, suggesting, “If we repeat that, Merz is gone. Anyone who wants to replace Merz should vote BSW.”
Another key objective for the BSW in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is preventing the formation of a coalition of SPD, Left Party, and Green Party. Wagenknecht explained that only if the BSW enters the state parliament could there be a chance that the currently governing coalition of SPD and Left Party would not secure an “extension of its term” via the Red-Red-Green combination. Instead, she called for a non-partisan Prime Minister who governs with shifting majorities, potentially including the AfD.
In recent weeks, the BSW has struggled in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern polls, hovering around four to five percent approval, and must work hard to achieve entry into the state parliament. The CDU has maintained six to ten percent in the same period, though this trend is reportedly declining. The AfD and SPD are currently the strongest parties.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) is widely considered to be in a compromised position, with media reports indicating plans within his party to replace him. Whether this replacement will actually happen following the upcoming elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin next Sunday remains uncertain.
In a separate study by the opinion research institute Infratest regarding voter migration during the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, approximately 12,000 voters had switched from the CDU to the BSW.
