Sahra Wagenknecht wants to coordinate BSW negotiations and break them off if there is no willingness to compromise

Party founder Sahra Wagenknecht wants to closely coordinate the BSW's talks on possible government participation in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg. She told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that it is important that the negotiations in the three states are coordinated. "If we give up an important demand in one state, it will be difficult for us to push it through in the other states. In order to have a strong negotiating position, we have to act in a coordinated manner," she said. "And of course we will also decide in a coordinated manner in the end: Is it enough or not enough?" This is a key question for the party as a whole.

Wagenknecht also threatened to break off the talks if the CDU and SPD were unwilling to compromise. "If the others don't really want to move, then our voters' mandate is to be in opposition," she said, "because we were elected for change and we will not betray our voters." Commenting on the talks so far, Wagenknecht said: "In Saxony and Thuringia, you can already say that it is often more annoying with the SPD than with the CDU."

BSW is needed for government majorities

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) achieved double-digit results in the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg and is needed for government majorities. In Thuringia and Saxony, the CDU is considering cooperation with the BSW, in Brandenburg the SPD. However, the BSW's foreign policy positions against arms deliveries to Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia, and against the deployment of US missiles are a potential stumbling block.

Wagenknecht reiterated in the RND that the state governments must take a clear position on the deployment of US medium-range missiles. "This should be in the preamble of the coalition agreement. This could then also lead to a Bundesrat initiative, but above all the state government should publicly represent this position," she said.

Wagenknecht: repeal sentences for violations of coronavirus rules

She also called for a "coronavirus amnesty law" in all federal states. According to her, this would be a first step towards stopping ongoing proceedings immediately. "But those who have been convicted and paid fines for violating dubious rules must not be left out in the cold. They must be compensated and the sentences overturned. Slovenia already did this in 2023," she said.

In mid-September, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had already announced that all ongoing coronavirus fine proceedings would be discontinued. "There are still proceedings from the old days, where the big complaints were with coronavirus: Fine proceedings. And these fine proceedings, the open proceedings, will now be discontinued and ended," he said.