Wagenknecht party to run in eastern German elections

Politician Sahra Wagenknecht wants to run with her new party in the three eastern German state elections next year, if possible. "We are striving to run in the three federal states, but whether we really make it in all three will of course depend on how the state associations are set up by then, which candidates we have on the ground," the Jena-born 54-year-old said in Berlin on Monday. She stressed that the decision ultimately lies with the new party to be founded.

Coming year will be elected in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg state parliaments. In Thuringia, a Wagenknecht party would have potential to become the strongest force in the state, according to a July Insa poll - especially at the expense of the AfD and the Left.