The new Wagenknecht Alliance has set itself the goal of ruling in Saxony and Thuringia. But under conditions, which the potential government partners reject. Is there any hope?

“We now have a lot of power in Germany,” says Sarah Wagenknecht at her first press conference after the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. The Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which was only founded in January 2024, managed to become the third strongest force in both federal states. In order to form governments without the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the new party could tip the scales.

“People have placed their hopes in us, I felt it during the election campaign”emphasizes Wagenknecht. The success of the BSW party also reflects the wider mood in Germany.

“War or Peace?” – Wagenknecht’s election campaign

One of the central themes of Wagenknecht’s party’s election campaign was “war and peace”. It was even formulated as a dichotomy in its posters: “war or peace”. An allusion to Russia’s war against Ukraine, in which Germany has an active role, sending arms to Ukraine. Wagenknecht’s party wants to change that.

The problem is, of course, that the state governments in Saxony and Thuringia cannot make such decisions, only the federal government in Berlin.

Wagenknecht calls for diplomatic initiatives

The polls are clear: “Half of German citizens fear the possibility of involvement in a major war, in East Germany even more”emphasizes Wagenknecht. A state government with the participation of the BSW Alliance should therefore clearly position itself in their favour. In her view, that includes more diplomatic initiatives from the federal government.

Political scientist Antonios Souris from the Free University of Berlin (FU) can imagine a compromise aimed at finding common ground on arms deliveries to Ukraine: in the form of a statement of intent in a coalition agreement that the country will work towards peace or something like that.

Between federal and local politics

The Wagenknecht Alliance seems very confident: “No one can overtake us”estimates the head of her ballot in Saxony, Sabine Zimmermann. Antonis Souris also believes that the party has good prospects. He considers the timing of his establishment and the idea of ​​his first participation in state elections in the east against the background of the federal elections of 2025 to be strategically successful: “There will still be a sense that this is something new.”

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu