Conflicts - In the Saxon campaign, it's also about war and peace.}
Whenever the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) campaigns on the streets and squares in Saxony, the peace question arises: How can the war in Ukraine be brought to an end? And doesn't the conflict ultimately threaten Germany as well? "People see the suffering in Ukraine and ask why all other parties keep voting for further arms deliveries in the billions," reports the Saxon BSW leader Sabine Zimmermann of many conversations with citizens. The peace question is raised to her on marketplaces time and again. Zimmermann attributes the high approval rating for her party in Saxony and Thuringia primarily to its clear stance on war and peace.
Two themes have emerged in Zimmermann's conversations: first, people are genuinely afraid that we are being drawn further and further into the war. This is not an abstract political concern that is expressed, but rather a deep-seated fear that they open their hearts to us at the polling station and express their existential anxiety, hoping that we as a new party can do something about it.
Second, Eastern Germans also have a keen sense that their concerns in the West - including from the media - are not taken seriously in their fears. "Many ask, 'What's really going on in Germany?' There is already a concern that a media mainstream similar to 2015 in the migration issue will simply dismiss legitimate concerns and fears."
Focus on economic relations and social exchange
Zimmermann does not see a special relationship of the Eastern Germans to Russia. "This is a very realistic and pragmatic attitude. Here, no one has sympathy for Putin's decision to attack Ukraine." However, the Eastern Germans seem to know better than the Western Germans that Russia will not simply dissolve into thin air with continued Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, and that one will have to deal with a difficult neighbor in the future. "We have probably learned this pragmatic attitude better."
It is also important to think about the "post-Putin era": "How can relations with Russia be reactivated? Perhaps best of all through economic relations and cultural and social exchanges. And in these areas, Saxony is particularly predestined to maintain these connections and not completely sever them at this point."
The Saxon BSW leader is clear: The possibilities of influencing foreign and defense policy in Germany through state politics are limited. "But we have a sharp sword: the Bundesrat initiative," says Zimmermann. If her party is part of a government in Saxony after September 1st, the free state could demand diplomatic initiatives for a immediate round of negotiations without preconditions via the Bundesrat. A Saxon state government that opposes the current course of the federal government would also have a significant symbolic effect, Zimmermann is convinced.
Zimmermann has personal experience of war
Zimmermann has recently seen with her own eyes what war means. On October 7, 2023, she was in Israel with her grandchildren when terrorists from the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip infiltrated into Israel and committed an unprecedented massacre with over 1200 deaths. "I had never felt so much anxiety for my family in my life as in these four days." For four days, she could not leave Tel Aviv with her grandchildren, there were constant bomb alarms. "A bomb went off 200 meters from us. Explosions could be heard every second. Anyone who experiences this sees war differently. That's why I will - where I can - fight against war."
- Sabine Zimmermann, the Saxon BSW leader, frequently encounters the concern about the Ukraine conflict during her campaigns in Saxony and Thuringia, questioning why other parties continue to vote for billion-dollar weapon deliveries.
- People are worried that Germany may be drawn deeper into the conflict, expressing their existential anxiety to Zimmermann at polling stations, hoping her party can offer a solution.
- Eastern Germans also feel disregarded in addressing their concerns regarding the conflict within Germany and the media.
- Zimmermann believes that Eastern Germans have a better understanding of dealing with Russia, recognizing that further arms deliveries will not dissolve Russia into oblivion and that maintaining economic relations and cultural exchanges is crucial.
- If the BSW becomes part of a Saxony government after September 1st, Zimmermann suggests using the Bundesrat initiative to demand an immediate round of negotiations without preconditions, potentially having a significant symbolic impact.
- Zimmermann personally understands the horrors of war, having experienced fear and anxiety during a 2023 terror attack in Israel, with over 1200 deaths and ongoing bomb alerts, leading her to advocate against war where possible.
- Zimmermann is concerned about the conflict in Ukraine, which ultimately poses a threat to Germany, and emphasizes the importance of promoting peace and dialogue to resolve international disputes.
