Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the BSW party, has expressed openness to partial collaboration with the AfD concerning the political landscape of Saxony-Anhalt. Speaking to Spiegel, she remarked, “We have to move past the idiocy of these firewalls, otherwise almost every second voter feels betrayed.”
Should the BSW manage to clear the five percent electoral threshold, the party plans to campaign for the appointment of an independent Minister-President who is respected across party lines. Wagenknecht has already outlined potential candidates for this role drawn from various fields, including business, the judiciary, and churches, noting that many principled individuals are available to initiate a political rebirth, though she did not name any specifics.
According to Wagenknecht, this Minister-President would then form a cabinet of experts-composed of people whether or not they belong to a political party-and govern through shifting majorities, ensuring that all democratically elected parties participate. This inclusion naturally refers to the AfD, which the BSW founder stated presents reasonable policy demands that voters are actively choosing.
Wagenknecht rejected the accusation that this approach would make her an enabler for the AfD. She contended that many German citizens are already incensed and are therefore voting for the AfD. She warned that continuing to establish wider “firewall” coalitions essentially signals to these voters that their ballots hold no meaning to mainstream politics. While she accepted that this practice could continue until the AfD achieves an absolute majority, she suggested that thinking through alternative paths beforehand would be wiser.
Wagenknecht left Die Linke in 2023 to establish the BSW with fellow activists. Although she has stepped back from the party leadership, she continues to work to raise the BSW’s profile during the election campaign. The party failed to gain seats in the Bundestag last year, and in Saxony-Anhalt, it currently stands near the required five percent threshold.
