The SPD in Thuringia makes serious accusations against the car maid
Just ahead of the state elections in East Germany, Sahra Wagenknecht is making demands that seem to have little to do with the politics of the federal states. Among the Social Democrats in Thuringia, there's a growing impression that the BSW is using Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg to gain influence on federal politics.
Three weeks before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, top politicians from the SPD and CDU are rejecting new conditions set by Sahra Wagenknecht for potential coalitions with the BSW, a party named after her. "Defense policy issues are not decided at the state level. This demand is a tactical maneuver," said Georg Maier, Interior Minister and SPD top candidate for the Thuringia state election, to the "Tagesspiegel".
The BSW, Maier said, would only join a state government that clearly rejects the US missile plans, which significantly increase the risk of war for Germany. "This statement makes it clear that the BSW is not interested in Thuringia or Saxony, but only in the interests of the party leader," said Maier to the "Tagesspiegel": "Wagenknecht does not care about the well-being of the eastern states, but is only interested in the federal election and personal power interests. She is dictating increasingly high conditions to the state associations for a possible government participation."
"This is a form of blackmail that is putting the CDU to the test and is intended to weaken it. In Thuringia, the BSW's top candidate, Katja Wolf, is increasingly becoming a puppet who receives instructions directly from Berlin," said Vice-Chancellor Maier further. There are no internal discussions in the BSW, "because the membership is limited to a few loyal persons. The model of the cadre party is back, in which a small nomenklatura under the leadership of Wagenknecht and Lafontaine rules."
"Not influenced by Wagenknecht"
Johann Wadephul, deputy chairman of the Union's parliamentary group, said to the "Tagesspiegel": "Coalition decisions are made at the respective level. A federal government involving the CDU and CSU will not be influenced by Frau Wagenknecht in this regard. We must seek a substantive discussion with her."
In the past, CDU representatives in particular had shown openness to a possible coalition with the BSW, despite the party's pro-Russian course. Polls repeatedly showed that both parties could reach majorities. However, the CDU had clearly rejected a possible cooperation at the federal level.
In the midst of this political turmoil, some argue that Wagenknecht's influence extends beyond the eastern states, potentially impacting national politics as well. This is evident in her party's demands for state governments to reject US missile plans, which many perceive as an attempt to shape federal politics.
Furthermore, the escalating tensions between Wagenknecht and the CDU leaders over these demands have sparked concerns about the influence of Wars and Conflicts issues on the political landscape, potentially overshadowing regional concerns.
