BSW boss: Kretschmer is apparently afraid of Wagenknecht

The head of the BSW in Saxony, Sabine Zimmermann, has rejected the criticism of Sahra Wagenknecht by Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU). "It's not our fault that Mr. Kretschmer is apparently afraid of Sahra Wagenknecht," she said in a statement. "For us, it goes without saying that the party leadership in Berlin coordinates closely with us," said Zimmermann. She is pleased about Wagenknecht's support.

Kretschmer had criticized BSW federal leader Wagenknecht for her attempt to determine conditions for a possible cooperation with the CDU in Saxony and Thuringia. "The days of the Politburo are over, when someone in Berlin could decide what happens on the ground," he said.

Wagenknecht has "a rare talent" for destroying things. "She has never really succeeded in building anything. And it's the same this time." Kretschmer criticized Wagenknecht's interventions, strange tie-in deals and red lines as a "humiliation of her own local members".

Zimmermann called on the CDU to engage in a substantive debate instead. "Our election campaign is about big issues such as education, health and the all-important issue of peace - and not about which politician sits at which negotiating table," she said. If talks were to take place after the election, they would focus on state-specific issues, including Saxony's position on Germany's Ukraine policy.