Wagenknecht alliance not ready for elections
The founding of the new Wagenknecht party is imminent. However, its participation in the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in the fall is far from certain. The alliance is also still lacking donations for the European elections.
According to Chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali, it is not yet clear whether the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" will run in all state elections next year once the party has been founded. According to initial polls, a good result in the elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg is certainly possible, said Mohamed Ali during a visit to her constituency in Oldenburg. "But to achieve this, we need to establish state associations, have a strong list of candidates and be able to finance a good election campaign." Whether this will succeed in all three federal states is questionable.
In order to build up the party, it is important to run in the European elections in June. However, donations are still lacking, said the former parliamentary group leader of the Left Party in the Bundestag. The association has collected 1.2 million euros so far. "We can use the money to finance the foundation, the first party conference and the initial structures. That's not enough for the European election campaign." The alliance is hoping for further donations when the party is founded at the beginning of the year.
Long-time Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht left the party in October with nine members of the Bundestag to found a rival project. Initially organized as an association, the "Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance" is to formally become a party on 8 January.
Strategy for mobilizing non-voters in progress
There is currently a large representation gap in the parliaments, said Mohamed Ali. Many voters do not feel that their concerns and views are represented. The new party would like to offer an alternative, especially to people who vote on the right out of protest. The 43-year-old announced that they are also working on a strategy to win over non-voters. Wagenknecht had announced that she did not want to become party leader herself and brought Mohamed Ali into play. If the latter is elected to lead the party together with Wagenknecht, she said she would campaign against the privatization of the healthcare system.
New approaches are also needed in education and migration policy. "It is not a solution to the shortage of skilled workers to focus solely on migration," said the MP from Oldenburg. There are tens of thousands of young people in Germany without a school-leaving certificate. "We need to train children and young people who grow up here properly and qualify them for the job market. That should be our priority."
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Source: www.ntv.de
