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Alice Weidel and Sahra Wagenknecht meet in a TV deal. The AfD leader sees an opportunity. BSW’s founder sets a different tone.
Update as of October 10, 11:30 am: The televised duel between Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Weidel on the subject of migration was extremely exciting. The BSW boss accused his opponents and the AfD of inciting racial animosity over the issue. According to Wagenknecht, the state chairman of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, stands out in particular. She found his remarks “appalling,” Wagenknecht said. Weidel fought his own accusations. When it comes to extremism, Wagenknecht is sitting in a glass house, said the AfD chairman, referring to the BSW founder’s past in the SED and as a member of the Communist Platform.
Update from October 9, 10:24 pm: It was an unusual television duel almost a year before the 2025 federal election With Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Weidel, the two most controversial women in German politics met on Welt TV. It was an evening full of controversy. The analysis of the weather exchange can be found here.
televised duel between Wagenknecht and Weidel – a duel between controversial politicians
Update from October 9, 8:28 pm: It started with a short pause for politeness. When moderator Jan Philipp Burgard asked them the first question in the so-called TV duel, Alice Weidel and Sahra Wagenknecht politely hesitated for a second and let each other go first. Then the leader of AfD and the founder of the alliance, Sahra Wagenknecht, started in the studio Television Welt. And the longer it took, the more controversial the whole thing became.
The duel between the two best women was a hot topic for the federal election next year. In nationwide surveys, the AfD is at 17 to 20 percent, the BSW at 7 to 9 percent. Neither has any current prospects of joining the federal government. But after the state elections in East Germany, both parties see themselves on a wave of success.
AfD and BSW: similarities and differences
Economy, education, the Middle East, Ukraine: Weidel and Wagenknecht initially seemed to agree on many things. “Mrs. Wagenknecht is absolutely right,” Weidel said of the criticism of high energy costs and broken infrastructure. Wagenknecht returned the favor with “Agree” on savings options in the household.
Wagenknecht suggested the use of Russian gas and called Russian sanctions a target. Regarding Ukraine, Wagenknecht emphasized that urgent efforts should be made to achieve a negotiated peace. “Ukraine will not be able to win this war, but we must negotiate.” Weidel said: “These are AfD positions that we have presented from the beginning.”
Moderator Burgard tried several times to work out the differences – and found them, among other things, on the subject of debt. Wagenknecht spoke out in favor of loans for investments in infrastructure. Weidel insisted on the debt brake. In the war in the Middle East, the AfD is unilaterally siding with the Israeli government, Wagenknecht said. Weidel emphasized that every country has the right to self-defense. Both agreed that Germany should not supply arms to Israel.
Alice Weidel (c), leader of the AfD party and parliamentary group, and Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the BSW party and member of the Bundestag, stand at their lectures at the start of the televised duel on the Welt-TV news channel. © Kay Nietfeld/dpa
There is a dispute between Wagenknecht and Weidel about the subject of migration
However, when it came to the topic of migration, the two were very much at odds. The AfD and BSW agree on the demand for a tougher course on migration policy. Wagenknecht, however, accused Weidel of stirring up trouble on the issue and allowing herself to take advantage of right-wing extremists in her party.
She repeatedly mentioned AfD Thuringia’s state leader, Björn Höcke. For a minute, Wagenknecht read from a book by Höcke, where he spoke, among other things, of “well-tempered cruelty”. The BSW boss concluded: “It’s so scary to me.” When asked by the moderator, she “of course” ruled out a coalition with people who were in the “neo-Nazi swamp”.
Weidel then took her turn against Wagenknecht and said she was sitting in a glass house when it came to extremism. In this context, Weidel accused Wagenknecht of being part of the communist platform of the left. Wagenknecht rejected this as a form of juvenile sin and emphasized that she now had completely different positions and that Weidel should please be quoted correctly.
Wagenknecht: “The Höckes are the leadership in the AfD”
According to the moderator Burgard, this was the first time that the leaders of the two parties met live in a deal. During the broadcast, Weidel repeatedly complained that Wagenknecht was allowed to answer in more detail. Wagenknecht often spoke directly to the AfD leader and, for example, accused her of treating the BSW unfairly. The point was that Weidel accused the new party of being a “stirrup holder” for established parties.
In the end, however, they both regained a respectful tone. Burgard asked them to rate each other on a right to left scale. “I think Ms. Weidel represents conservative positions,” Wagenknecht said conciliatoryly. The only problem is that “the Höckes” are leading the AfD. Weidel, for her part, said: “What I like about Ms. Wagenknecht is that she sees things in a different way” and: “I think she has a very balanced profile.” And then it was over.
Weidel wants Trump to be President on TV – Wagenknecht warns of Harris’ “war policy.”
Update from October 9, 7:20 pm: During the televised duel between Alice Weidel and Sahra Wagenknecht, the two politicians were also asked about the upcoming US election in November. AfD leader Weidel’s favorite: Donald Trump. “Sometimes he is very sharp in his statements. “Nevertheless, he made good policies,” said the nominated candidate for chancellor, explaining her decision. The AfD politician has praise for the Republican, especially when it comes to economic policy.
On the other hand, Wagenknecht is divided in her response. The BSW boss explained that she was glad she did not have to cast her vote in the November election. Because Kamala Harris doesn’t seem like an alternative to Wagenknecht either. “Trump is crazy and Harris will continue the war policy,” Wagenknecht said.
televised duel between Weidel and Wagenknecht – lines of conflict blurred
Update from October 9, 6:44 pm: The mood in the Springer house before the start of the duel is much less tense than it was at the first big televised duel of this kind a few weeks ago; Thuringian blow exchange between Björn Höcke (AfD) and Mario Voigt (CDU).
Although the lines of conflict were already clear before the duel, this time there was uncertainty in the studio Television Welt. Especially with regard to questions about foreign policy, it was not clear until the duel whether and to what extent similarities between the two politicians could be clear.
Sahra Wagenknecht came to the studio first. As a media professional, the BSW founder appeared very relaxed and spoke briefly beforehand to journalists from other companies present. Weidel quickly arrived early and did not need to speak to the media before the broadcast began.
TV duel: Wagenknecht versus Weidel – the AfD leader does not want to argue
First report from 9 October: Berlin – AfD leader Alice Weidel says she is not looking for a fight in the planned televised duel with party founder Sahra Wagenknecht. “I don’t think there would be any reason to be confrontational in any way,” Weidel said, according to the German press agency when asked if the duel with Wagenknecht would be more confrontational or more cozy from her point of view. “I believe you have to treat all political competitors equally.”
Weidel-Wagenknecht duel: AfD leader is optimistic
The problems in Germany can no longer be solved unless solutions are discussed across camps. “You can only find a holistic solution across the camps by finally having a conversation and not somehow covering yourself with strange firewalls and requests for bans,” Weidel said.
When asked about the planned TV duel, Wagenknecht also said: “I think it is wise and right to deal with the matter of the AfD.” She is confident that she will argue objectively with Weidel and “the differences may also be clearer for many voters as well.” You would be doing the AfD a favor if you avoided the debate.
TV spouse with Weidel: Wagenknecht rejects AfD ban events as “stupid”.
The motion in the Bundestag to ban the AfD is “the sharpest motion this year, perhaps the harshest motion of this legislature,” said Alliance chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht. German press agency according to. Both women will appear in a live simulcast on Wednesday evening (6 pm). Television Welt on. According to the broadcaster, topics will include migration, economic and social policy as well as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.
The “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance” wants to shape German politics
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