Sahra Wagenknecht, the “German Mélenchon”, gains political independence

2023-10-23 16:53:14

When Sahra Wagenknecht announces something, the press usually rushes to hear it. This was again the case, this Monday, October 23, in Berlin with the officialization by this figure of the German radical left of the creation of a new political association, soberly called “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht”. Sometimes described as the “German Mélenchon”, this popular and controversial political figure thus confirmed her divorce from the Die Linke party, of which she was one of the leading figures.

With nine other federal deputies, this 54-year-old elected official, recognizable by her little bun and her brightly colored suits, explained that she was leaving this party because of “repeated electoral defeats” and of “the absence of programmatic reaction”. The former captain leaves the ship in the middle of a storm, although not without helping to dig some holes in the hull. In recent years, Sahra Wagenknecht has continued to polarize, taking up positions close to the far right on immigration, Covid-19, gender issues and Russia.

Stopping “uncontrolled immigration”

With the creation of this “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance” (BSW), a new era begins for the one that political scientist Tilman Maier, of the University of Bonn, describes as “charismatic” and knowing how to combine “populism and some solid factual arguments”. Its aim is to found a political party in January, to present a list in the European elections in June and to participate, « si possible », in the three regional elections in autumn 2024 in eastern Germany.

In her manifesto, Sahra Wagenknecht gives herself four priorities: “reasonable economic policy” pour “save the industry” German ; a “social justice policy” with, among other things, the cessation of“uncontrolled immigration”;“a foreign policy geared towards peace” in Ukraine and the Middle East and “a policy of freedom of expression” in a country where, according to her, since the pandemic, there has been a “pressure to conform”.

Is this initiative likely to succeed when another of its projects failed in 2018? Yes, says Tilman Maier: “Sahra Wagenknecht has the capacity to reorganize the German political landscape, because she represents a left-wing populist formation that internalizes right-wing themes. This makes the AfD very nervous. »

“The end of Die Linke is almost certain”

Not Sahra Wagenknecht affirms ” Of course “ not wanting to work with the extreme right, she makes no secret of wanting to tread on the toes of an AfD which exceeds 20% of voting intentions at the national level. According to a survey published this weekend, 27% of Germans say they imagine being able to vote for a future Sahra Wagenknecht formation. A proportion which exceeds 40% among AfD voters and in the east of the country.

As for his former party, Die Linke, it could be the big loser in this new tectonic of political plates. “Electorally, the end of Die Linke is almost certain”, assures Tilman Maier. This independence by Sahra Wagenknecht should also increase pressure on the tripartite government of Olaf Scholz. Yesterday, Sahra Wagenknecht called it“incompetent” and of “worst government in the history of the Republic”. The tone is set.