The message: The enemy is somewhere else. And Wagenknecht doesn’t shy away from superlatives. The traffic light is “the stupidest government in Europe”, “incompetent” and “unspeakable”. In general, the choice of words is strong, pointed and exaggerated. Those up there versus those down there. Wagenknecht uses some populist narratives: “stricter antitrust laws against data octopuses from overseas,” anti-war rhetoric along the lines of no weapons for Ukraine, which would only lead to “Zelenskyj being able to attack Moscow soon.” FDP defense expert Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann is an “arms lobbyist, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is a Blackrock lobbyist.” Good versus evil, poor versus rich. Simple messages, whether they are true or not. That sits. Applause.
Wagenknecht positioned her party clearly on the left in her first speech. Many topics are reminiscent of the Left Party. She wants: better pensions, a uniform education system, a reformed EU and redistribution of wealth. What is new is the look at the topic of migration. This is where the substantive balancing act begins for the newly founded party. On the one hand, Wagenknecht wants to win over voters from the AfD, but on the other hand she is seeking to differentiate herself from the AfD. Your idea of migration is: limitation and integration. She has said this publicly often enough. That attracts voters.