Nouripour and Esken publicly endorse the BSW alliance.
Sahra Wagenknecht and her new political group are stirring up controversy, even with their stance on the Ukraine conflict. After the upcoming regional elections, the BSW could hold significant influence. The heads of the SPD and Greens have no intentions of meddling in potential coalition matters at a local level.
SPD leader Saskia Esken and Green leader Omid Nouripour haven't entirely ruled out working together with the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) at a regional level, except for any alliance with the AfD. Esken made this statement during a "ZDF Berlin Direct Summer Interview," emphasizing that the state associations are in charge of making coalition decisions, not needing advice from higher parties. They'll make decisions based on the election results' layout.
New regional assemblies will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg in September. Nouripour held a similar stance in an ARD broadcast, where he responded to social media queries. "Locals will decide their coalition partnerships, including handling Sahra Wagenknecht's party."
However, Nouripour highlighted the considerable differences between the Greens and BSW. He criticized Wagenknecht for turning an external political matter like Ukraine into a condition for a local coalition, deeming it an unserious move. Nouripour assured that the Greens would be represented in all three regional assemblies.
"Other parties would adore a figure like Robert Habeck"
Esken described the SPD-Greens-FDP "traffic light" coalition, which had recently been bombarding last-minute budget improvements for the coming year, as a "strong government." She affirmed, "We are currently leading a government, a truly unusual and tough coalition." Esken left no doubts about Olaf Scholz's renewed chancellorship intentions. "Olaf Scholz is our chancellor and will remain our chancellor candidate."
Nouripour refrained from committing to this question but defended the possibility of a Green chancellor candidate and did not explicitly confirm Robert Habeck as the most likely choice. He commended Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. "Other parties would cherish a personality like Robert Habeck. We have him. That's quite a privilege." During the ARD summer interview, he reflected on the federal election in the following year, "Everything's still up for grabs."
The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) is a group that SPD leader Saskia Esken and Green leader Omid Nouripour might consider collaborating with at a regional level, excluding any alliance with the AfD. Nouripour mentioned during an ARD broadcast that local Coalition partnerships, including dealing with Wagenknecht's party, will be decided by the new regional assemblies in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg in September.
