The Union expresses reluctance towards being deceived by BSW at the national stage.
Wagenknecht, BSW Chairwoman, Insists on Political Demands as Coalition Conditions with CDU in Thuringia and Saxony. Frei and Voigt Show Unwillingness to Comply.
Union faction chief Thorsten Frei strongly opposes tying the coalition formation in Thuringia and Saxony to external political issues like Ukraine policy or the proposed placement of US missiles in Western Germany, as suggested by Wagenknecht, BSW Chairwoman. Upon arriving for the party committee meetings in Berlin, Frei stated, "The Union cannot entertain this idea."
The CDU relies on the BSW for the formation of the government in both regions without the AfD. Wagenknecht has made external political conditions a prerequisite for coalition formation. Frei now contends, "We can't accept it if such fundamental Union positions are challenged from the regions." The BSW regional leaders have primarily focused on local politics as opposed to Wagenknecht. Frei added, "We are yet to unravel the enigma that is BSW. Time will tell."
Frei sees common grounds with the party but maintained, "This is not a partner we'd ideally want. However, we notice that BSW seems to be leaning towards a realistic migration policy. We also find commonalities in the social policy sphere. But, challenges in foreign and security policy are significant, where we have irreconcilable positions, but they don't impact local politics."
Voigt Disputes Wagenknecht's Expectations
Mario Voigt, CDU's top candidate for Thuringia, argued against Wagenknecht's call for clear foreign policy signals, stating, "Foreign policy isn't decided in Thuringia."
On the contrary, Katja Wolf, BSW's top candidate for Thuringia, said on Deutschlandfunk that a clear stand should be taken in Thuringia for diplomatic resolutions to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and against the deployment of US medium-range missiles in Germany, arguing that "this is non-negotiable." She further clarified that Wagenknecht would not be involved in the coalition negotiations in Thuringia. "She will not be there, and she has no intention of doing so." The state association will align its stance with Berlin, Wolf added.
The Commission, presumably referring to the CDU or BSW's decision-making body, will have to navigate the conflicting views between Frei and Wagenknecht regarding coalition conditions in Thuringia and Saxony. Wagenknecht insists on integrating political demands like foreign policy and US missile placement into the coalition agreements, while Frei firmly opposes this approach, stating, "The Union cannot entertain this idea."
