The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could form a state government for the first time with the support of a small leftist party that shares its hostility toward mass immigration and its opposition to the mainstream political consensus. In Sunday’s election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD finished first, securing 39 of the 83 seats in the regional parliament, though it fell short of an absolute majority.
The BSW’s position
Although mainstream parties, including the conservative CDU led by Friedrich Merz, maintain a “firewall” policy of refusing to cooperate with the AfD, the left-wing BSW has confirmed its readiness to act as a “kingmaker” after clearing the 5% threshold to enter the Saxony-Anhalt parliament. Thomas Schulze, the lead BSW candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, told Reuters on Monday that his party is prepared to negotiate with all political forces, including the AfD, from the outset. He described the mainstream parties’ refusal to work with the AfD as “undemocratic.” Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has labeled the AfD “extremist.”
Despite ideological differences, both parties share a sense of social conservatism, distrust of traditional media, and a desire to end financial and military support for Ukraine while restoring ties with Russia. They also oppose mass migration, which the BSW argues harms the labor rights of local workers.
BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht stated she hopes for a parliamentary majority in Saxony-Anhalt to support changes to energy policy, the lifting of sanctions against Russia, improvements in education, and a fundamental reform of public broadcasting. She added that the BSW intends to use such majorities to improve people’s lives.
A new challenge to the political consensus
The BSW was founded in 2024 by Sahra Wagenknecht and nine other politicians who left The Left, Germany’s main far-left political force and the successor to the former East German communist party.
Despite ideological friction, the BSW joined a coalition with Merz‘s conservatives and the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the neighboring eastern state of Thuringia in late 2024. The situation there later became complicated by disputes over cooperation with the CDU, leading some local BSW members to leave the party and form their own group. Wagenknecht herself has advocated for cooperation with the AfD.
In the Thuringia election, the AfD also finished first but failed to secure enough seats for a majority and could not convince other parties to join a coalition government.
In Saxony-Anhalt, AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund said on Sunday that the BSW “is not part of the solution, but is part of the problem.” Meanwhile, Thomas Schulze remains open to working with the far-right. “The AfD won the election, Mr. Siegmund is the winner. It is his job to form a government,” he said.
Source: Reuters
