Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht rejects accusations of extremism

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Saxony has rejected accusations of extremism from CDU federal leader Friedrich Merz. "Apparently he has not read our election program and, in view of its own defeat in the eastern German states, the CDU is now insulting all those voters who voted for the BSW with double-digit percentages," explained Sabine Zimmermann, head of the BSW in Saxony, in Dresden on Tuesday. She spoke of a "stupid tactic".

"Does Mr. Merz want to leave scorched earth in Saxony and make the state ungovernable? We cannot imagine that the federal CDU is reflecting the opinion of the eastern German CDU state associations and are looking forward to the internal battles within the CDU that are sure to follow," emphasized Zimmermann. Because with such a position, "the shrunken CDU in Saxony will obstruct any way out - unless it wants to form a coalition with the AfD".

The background to the statements are the electoral successes of the BSW in the European and local elections in Saxony and the new party's poll ratings with a view to the state elections. The BSW won 12.6 percent of the vote in the European elections in the Free State of Saxony from a standing start and is also achieving double-digit figures in current polls for the state elections. As things stand, the CDU/CSU could be reliant on the BSW as a coalition partner after the state elections on September 1.

CDU party leader Merz had expressed his opposition to a possible coalition between his party and the BSW. When asked whether he would be prepared to consider working with the BSW to prevent AfD minister presidents in the east, he said: "That is absolutely clear, we have always said that. We do not work with such far-right and far-left parties." He added that Sahra Wagenknecht was both far-left and far-right.

Saxon CDU General Secretary Alexander Dierks did not want to comment on this on Tuesday. Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) opted for dialog on Tuesday. The only thing that would help now was to talk to people about what they wanted and what they didn't want, he said in Leipzig.