Kretschmer and Redmann criticize BSW leader Wagenknecht

Two weeks before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, top CDU politicians are criticizing BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht for her attempt to determine the conditions for possible cooperation. "The days of the Politburo are over, when someone in Berlin could decide what happens on the ground," said Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer as he arrived for meetings of his party's top committees in Berlin. Wagenknecht also makes coalitions in the federal states dependent on the attitude of potential partners to the war in Ukraine.

Wagenknecht has "a rare talent (..) for destroying things. She has never really succeeded in building anything. And it's the same this time," said Kretschmer. He criticized interventions, strange coupling deals and red lines drawn by Wagenknecht. "This humiliation of our own members on the ground is really terrible. But it's just what we've known from her for many years," added the Minister President.

Redmann questions Wagenknecht's will to govern

The CDU's lead candidate for the state elections in Brandenburg on September 22, Jan Redmann, said: "It's unclear to me whether the BSW seriously wants to govern in the states at all." If that were the case, the BSW would have to get involved in state political discussions. However, he had "the impression that Sahra Wagenknecht is building up positions at federal level in order to prevent coalitions in the federal states. That her goal is therefore not at all that serious exploration can take place in the federal states." The question is how the BSW top candidates and chairpersons in the state associations are dealing with this - "whether they are just messengers of Sahra Wagenknecht's messages or whether they are also confidently making policy for Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg".

At the same time, Redmann emphasized that the CDU line is clear: "We have incompatibility resolutions with the AfD and the Left Party, not with regard to the BSW." In this respect, "we need to look at whether there are any overlaps". At a state political level, he could certainly see overlaps. The BSW would "certainly not be able to change the CDU's course at federal level via the states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg. Of course, we will not allow that to happen."

Spahn warns against coalition debates

CDU Executive Committee member Jens Spahn warned against coalition debates. People want to know where the differences are in education policy, internal security, migration and economic policy. "Apart from that, I have great confidence that the state associations will make smart decisions," added Spahn.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) MEP Dennis Radtke had previously categorically rejected any cooperation between his party and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). "Any cooperation with BSW would be toxic for the CDU," he told the Tagesspiegel. "Any cooperation between the CDU and BSW in one federal state would damage the CDU throughout Germany," he added.