Wagenknecht alliance has already collected one million euros in donations
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) of the former Left Party politician only exists as an association and is not yet a party, but has already collected one million euros in donations. BSW treasurer Ralph Suikat told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper. There are donations in the single-digit to five-digit range. So far "we are satisfied".
According to legal scholar and party researcher Sophie Schönberger, however, the BSW's approach is legally problematic. The rules on party funding are much stricter than the law on associations, she told the SZ. The suspicion arises that the aim of the BSW association is to undermine party law.
For example, parties are not allowed to receive donations from other EU countries, but associations are. Suikat assured that the BSW does not accept foreign donations. He said that the association was already run as if it was subject to party law before the party was founded.
Schönberger does not consider this to be sufficient, as nobody can check this. "But if I receive money that is only channelled through someone else, then that is an illegal straw man donation," she said. "With the association construct, you are basically circumventing everything that constitutes a party in Germany."
Despite their non-party status, the BSW alliance has still managed to secure five-digit donations, amounting to a million Euros so far. This significant funding has allowed them to operate as if they were subject to party law, according to their treasurer Ralph Suikat. Yet, legal scholar Sophie Schönberger raises concerns about the legality of these donations, suggesting that the BSW's approach may be an attempt to bypass party funding regulations.
Source: www.ntv.de
