Scholz forms alliance with BSW at federal level
**Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ruled out a coalition of the SPD with the Left Party (The Left, led by Sahra Wagenknecht) at the federal level after the next Bundestag election. "I cannot see such a coalition on a federal level, given the pro-Russian stance of The Left," Scholz told the "Saarbrücken Newspaper". However, he will not impose any guidelines on SPD state organizations for state elections. "Coalitions are always decided locally, in individual states," he emphasized.
This stance is the same as that of CDU leader Friedrich Merz for his party. Merz had also given the CDU state organizations free rein to decide on possible coalitions with The Left. At the same time, he had clearly stated that he did not consider a federal-level alliance due to Wagenknecht's foreign and security policy views to be feasible. The CDU had passed resolutions excluding coalitions with the AfD and the Left.
In surveys, The Left, led by the former Left politician Sahra Wagenknecht, currently stands at approximately 7-8% nationwide. In Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, where state elections will take place in September, The Left receives values of 14-21%. Difficult coalition negotiations are anticipated in these states. Since no one wants to coalition with the right-populist AfD, the parties of the political center could potentially rely on support from The Left.**
- Despite Scholz's opposition to a federal-level coalition with The Left due to their pro-Russian attitude, some SPD state organizations might consider forming coalitions at the state level, like in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.
- The Alliance, led by Sahra Wagenknecht, holds a different stance at the federal level compared to Federal Chancellor Scholz, as they have been supported by up to 21% in state elections in some regions.
- Due to the CDU's exclusion of coalitions with both the AfD and The Left at the federal level, possible coalition negotiations in states like Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg could involve the Political Center potentially relying on The Left's support to avoid cooperating with the right-populist AfD.
