"Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht" is now a group in the Bundestag
It is now official: now that the remaining Left Party MPs have constituted themselves as a group in the Bundestag, the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" has also done so. The figurehead will also be elected chairwoman. It is now also known when the party will be founded.
Former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht is pushing ahead with her new political project. She founded her own group, the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance", in the Bundestag. The group's namesake was herself elected chairwoman. The two other members of the group's executive committee are Klaus Ernst as deputy and Jessica Tati as parliamentary secretary. The 54-year-old also announced that her new party is expected to be launched on January 8. Wagenknecht rejected criticism of foreign donations for the project. At the same time, she once again criticized the traffic light coalition.
Wagenknecht resigned from the Left Party in October along with nine other members of the Bundestag. The Left Party faction in the Bundestag subsequently disbanded. A few days ago, the 28 MPs remaining in Die Linke re-formed as a group in parliament - now the MPs around Wagenknecht have followed suit. Both groups have applied to the President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, for official recognition. They are hoping for a decision in January, said Wagenknecht.
If the plenary of the Bundestag agrees, the parliamentarians will receive certain rights as new groups - for example to table motions and questions - and financial support to employ their own staff. The details will first be discussed in the Council of Elders and then set out in a resolution. The Bundestag has not yet provided any information on when the two motions could be voted on.
Wagenknecht wants to save on Ukraine aid
Wagenknecht emphasized that she would be back in the Bundestag more often in future. Recently, there had no longer been any support within the Left Party for her to appear as a speaker. In fact, her last major Bundestag speech for the Left Party on the war in Ukraine in September 2022 sparked fierce internal criticism. Wagenknecht once again made it clear that she rejects arms deliveries to Ukraine and sees potential savings there as a solution to the budget crisis. However, she rejected cuts to the citizens' income or other social benefits. She warned that expiring tax concessions for energy and gastronomy as well as the increase in the price of carbon dioxide would result in a burden of 23 billion euros for citizens. What is needed is an "opposition that actually has solutions".
After the break with the Left Party, the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" was initially founded as an association to prepare the party and collect donations for it. According to treasurer Ralph Suikat, a seven-figure sum was raised at the beginning of December. There has recently been criticism of donations from abroad for the project - according to Suikat, around 3.4 percent of the total sum. Wagenknecht rejected this. It is "very transparent that people are trying to pull the wool over our eyes", she said. The association abides by the law applicable to political parties when collecting donations.
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The "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance," led by the former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht, has now officially formed as a group in the German federal parliament, following the reconstitution of the remaining Left Party MPs. Despite criticisms of foreign donations to their project, the alliance has been able to raise significant funds, including from abroad.
Source: www.ntv.de
