Ahead of the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg, possible coalitions have been discussed for weeks. The BSW is now making demands.
Dresden – Against the backdrop of the AfD’s strong poll ratings in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, the CDU in particular is faced with the important question of how to form government coalitions after the state elections in the autumn.
The Union continues to categorically rule out cooperation with the right-wing populists. However, the forecasts a few weeks before the election show that there are hardly any options that would avoid the AfD participating in the government.
CDU could be dependent on Sahra Wagenknecht’s alliance after state elections
One of these possibilities in all three countries is the new alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). However, its party leader has now spoken out with strong criticism of Saxony’s CDU Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and set conditions for participation in the coalition: Sahra Wagenknecht stressed to the Editorial Network Germany (RND) that the BSW will not accept the stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany.
Possible BSW coalition in Saxony: Wagenknecht and Kretschmer disagree about US missiles
However, Kretschmer had previously clearly supported the stationing of US missiles and described it as “absolutely right”. According to Wagenknecht’s statement, this caused “great irritation” among BSW supporters. According to Wagenknecht, these types of weapons “do not close a gap in defense, but are offensive weapons that would make Germany a primary target for Russian nuclear missiles,” he quoted RND the party leader.
Wagenknecht had also previously stressed to the German Press Agency that her BSW “would only participate in a state government that also took a clear position in federal politics for diplomacy and against preparations for war.”
Apart from the criticism of Germany’s arms aid to Ukraine in the Russian war of aggression, many of the BSW’s positions – for example in the area of climate and immigration policy – are much closer to the political orientation of the Union than to Wagenknecht’s former party, the Left. German Radio recently summarized the positions of the BSW as “left-conservative.”
Polls ahead of state elections in September: AfD not ahead in Saxony only
According to current surveys, such as those for the ZDF Politbarometer, the CDU is ahead of the AfD for the first time in months, three weeks before the Saxony election. With 34 percent of the vote, it would become the strongest state parliament party, ahead of the AfD with 30 percent. The SPD and the Greens are each at six percent, which would not be enough for a black-red-green government majority. According to the surveys, the BSW is currently at eleven percent in Saxony, the Left at four.
According to ZDF polls, the AfD is still leading by a wide margin ahead of the Thuringia election with 30 percent. The CDU is the second strongest party with 21 percent, with the BSW just behind with 19 percent. The Left follows with 15 percent. The SPD is far behind with seven and the Greens with three percentage points. Elections will take place in both Thuringia and Saxony on September 1st.
The Brandenburg election will take place just three weeks later on September 22nd. Here too, the latest INSA polls from the end of July put the AfD ahead with 24 percent, followed by the SPD with 20 and the CDU with 19 percent. According to polls for the state election in Brandenburg, the BSW has a strong result with 17 percent of the vote. The Greens and the Left are each at five percent. (saka)
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