University Professor Machill is the BSW's top candidate

The BSW is entering the federal elections in Saxony with Leipzig journalism professor Marcel Machill as its top candidate. The 56-year-old was elected unopposed to first place on the state list with a good 75 percent, according to a party spokeswoman.

Machill cited social justice and equal opportunities as the most important issues: "Things have to be fair in Germany." He himself was a working-class child - his father a master bricklayer, his mother a children's nurse - and was able to become a professor thanks to a good education and scholarships. In his view, there needs to be a reform of inheritance tax, a minimum wage of 15 euros and better support for company founders, especially in eastern Germany. More venture capital should help with this. He wants to stand up for the interests of SMEs and reduce bureaucracy for these companies. Performance must be rewarded, but "obscenely high" salaries, for example for railroad managers, should be limited, Machill emphasized.

Machill sees overlaps with CDU

The young party achieved double-digit results in the European and state elections in Saxony last year, but did not end up participating in government with the CDU and SPD in Dresden. Recent polls put the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) at 5 to 8 percent nationwide in December. After splitting from the Left Party, it is currently represented in the Bundestag with ten MPs.

"I don't think we can repeat the result of the state election in Saxony," Machill told the German Press Agency. The BSW had achieved 11.8 percent. This was because the other parties had recognized his party as an opponent to be taken seriously, so the wind had become rougher. He ruled out formal cooperation with the AfD, but said it was important to take a pragmatic look at their content. In principle, he believes an alliance with the CDU is possible. There are overlaps in some policy areas, such as migration policy. However, he sees major differences in foreign and peace policy.