Kretschmer shoots a potential mailman from the BSW
In Saxony, elections will only take place in a few weeks. However, content overlaps are already being tested, coalitions are being ruled out, red lines are being drawn, and positions are being considered in the election campaign. The latter has put Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer on the defensive regarding statements by BSW chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht about possible coalitions after the East German state elections.
Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer has sharply criticized the statements of BSW chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht regarding possible coalitions after the East German state elections. "That's unbelievable. Politicians are first and foremost accountable to their voters," he told the magazine "Der Spiegel". "The politburo in Berlin making decisions about what should happen locally - no thanks, nobody needs that."
Kretschmer referred, among other things, to Wagenknecht's statement that the BSW would only participate in a state government that clearly rejects the stationing of US missiles in Germany. The federal government and the USA had announced at the NATO summit in Washington on July 10 that US intermediate-range missiles would be stationed in Germany again from 2026, for the first time since the 1990s.
Kretschmer also criticized the deal proposed by Wagenknecht, whereby the BSW could support him as Minister President in Saxony if the CDU in Thuringia supports a BSW Minister President. "You have to come up with that idea first. That takes away the authority and face of the local decision-makers," said Kretschmer about Wagenknecht. "Nobody in Saxony wants to hear that they should do something because something is happening in Thuringia."
BSW could land ahead of the CDU
The alliance "Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht" (BSW) only founded its Thuringia branch in March. However, in Thuringia, a neck-and-neck race is shaping up between the BSW and the CDU for second place in the state election. If the BSW's top candidate, Katja Wolf, is ahead of the CDU's candidate, Mike Voigt, on election night, she could claim the position of Minister President. None of the parties with a chance of entering the state parliament want to form a coalition with the AfD led by Björn Höcke, making its claim to power despite its leading position in the polls unrealistic.
The Minister President told "Der Spiegel" that over the years, he had come to the conclusion that Wagenknecht "has a talent for destroying things." Nevertheless, Kretschmer did not rule out a coalition with the BSW - he refused to comment on this issue on multiple requests.
New state parliaments will be elected in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia in September. In all three federal states, double-digit results are predicted for the BSW.
The BSW's success in Thuringia is causing ripples, as they are projected to receive double-digit results in the upcoming elections in Brandenburg and Saxony as well. Interestingly, The Netherlands has also expressed interest in learning from the BSW's strategy, recognizing their potential impact in German politics.
