Wagenknecht distances herself from right-wing extremists in the AfD

BSW party founder Sahra Wagenknecht distances herself from right-wing extremists in the AfD, but is keeping her future support for the party's proposals open. "We have always said that we will not form a coalition with Mr. Höcke," the former Left Party politician told the Berliner Zeitung. Far-right politician Björn Höcke is the AfD's lead candidate for the state elections in Thuringia. In Saxony and Brandenburg, where a new state parliament will also be elected, "there are enough people from his camp", said Wagenknecht.

The party leader said of Höcke: "I don't need the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to recognize that the völkisch blood-and-soil ideology that Höcke and his wing represent is right-wing extremist." The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony and Thuringia classifies the AfD in both states as definitely right-wing extremist; in Brandenburg, the AfD is a suspected right-wing extremist party of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The "Wing" party, of which Höcke was the ideological leader, has since been officially dissolved.

Wagenknecht wants a different approach to the AfD

Wagenknecht is calling for better control of the constitution protection authorities in all three states and accuses them of having a life of their own and playing politics. The AfD wants to abolish the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in its current form.

The party founder reiterated her call for a different approach to the AfD in contrast to other parties. "We will not reflexively reject everything that comes from the AfD," she told the newspaper. "In the end, that only gives them the opportunity to show off their opponents."

Party leader emphasizes difference with AfD on migration

In the latest polls, the AfD is at around 30 percent in Saxony and Thuringia and 24 percent in Brandenburg. It is ahead in the polls in Thuringia and Brandenburg. In the latest polls, the BSW came in at 17 to 19 percent in Thuringia, 11 to 14 percent in Saxony and 16 to 17 percent in Brandenburg. In a study, Potsdam political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek considers the BSW to be a populist party.

"I don't hope that the AfD will soon be at 30 percent everywhere," said Wagenknecht. With regard to the AfD's migration policy, she said: "We are not stirring up resentment against migrants. We are saying that the high level of immigration is overwhelming our country and that there must be rules."

Wagenknecht rejects accusations of a cadre party

According to Wagenknecht, the BSW wants to put pressure on the federal government to do more for diplomacy and peace and against a new arms race in the event of co-government in the federal states. The deployment of medium-range missiles "makes us a target for Russian nuclear missiles", she said. "Preventing this is fundamental for us."

Wagenknecht rejected critics' accusations of authoritarian party leadership. "If we had organized ourselves differently, the BSW might not have been five months old," she said. "Young parties quickly disintegrate if everyone is allowed to become a member."