- The leading candidates from the CDU take issue with the BSW's leader, Wagenknecht.
Two weeks prior to the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, senior CDU officials are lambasting BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht for trying to impose conditions for potential collaborations. "The era of the politburo is passed, where someone in Berlin can dictate local affairs," stated Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) during Berlin gatherings of the party's higher-ups. Wagenknecht is linking coalitions in the states to potential partners' stances on the Ukraine conflict.
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann criticized Wagenknecht, questioning if she genuinely cares about the concerns of Thuringian, Saxon, and Brandenburg citizens or if she's merely raising federal issues that won't be resolved at the state level. He affirmed that the CDU's approach towards the BSW would be determined at the state level.
Kretschmer called Wagenknecht's abilities "uniquely skilled at destroying things. She's never managed to construct anything, and it's no different this time." He criticized her interventions, odd deals, and lines drawn by Wagenknecht. "Locally humiliating one's own members is truly deplorable. But that's what we're used to from her for years," he added.
Redmann questions Wagenknecht's intent to govern
The CDU's state election candidate for Brandenburg on September 22, Jan Redmann, expressed uncertainty about the BSW's sincerity in governing the states. If they did, they would need to engage in state-level political discussions. However, he shared his impression that Wagenknecht was creating federal-level positions to prevent coalitions in the states. Her goal, thus, is to prevent genuine negotiations in the states. He inquired about the BSW's state-level leaders' handling of the situation - "are they merely her messengers or are they also making politics confidently for Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg?"
At the same time, Redmann emphasized that the CDU's stance was clear: "We have incompatibility resolutions with the AfD and the Left Party, not with the BSW. Therefore, it's crucial to examine if there are any shared values." He acknowledged potential commonalities at the state political level. The BSW, he said, "won't be able to alter the CDU's federal course through the states of Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. We won't allow it," he added.
Spahn advises against coalition discussions
CDU Presidium member Jens Spahn warned against engaging in coalition discussions. People want to know where the disagreements lie in education policy, internal security, migration, or economic policy. "Otherwise, I'm confident that the state associations will make prudent decisions," Spahn concluded.
CDU MEP Dennis Radtke had previously dismissed any collaboration between his party and the BSW. "Any collaboration with the BSW would be poisonous for the CDU," he told the "Tagesspiegel". "Any collaboration between the CDU and the BSW in a federal state would harm the CDU nationwide," he reiterated.
In the upcoming 'Election to the Landtag' in Brandenburg, CDU's state election candidate Jan Redmann expressed concerns about the BSW's sincerity in governing the state, stressing the need for state-level political discussions. Despite potential commonalities at the state political level, Spahn advised against coalition discussions, emphasizing the importance of identifying disagreements in key policy areas.
