What Is New "Pro-russian" Party in Germany, and Why Does It Pose Risks?
The face of the German left (Die Linke), Sahra Wagenknecht, known for her consistently pro-Russian stance, which was not even affected by Russia's full-scale invasion, has announced the founding of her own political force.
This is extremely alarming news for Kyiv – Wagenknecht belongs to the Putinversteher in Germany (literally, those who understand Putin).
She may turn out to be much more successful than traditional "friends of Putin" – Alternative for Germany.
Read more about who Sarah Wagenknecht is and her chances of influencing Germany's politics in the article by EuroPravda journalist Khrystyna Bondarieva – More Dangerous than Far Right: Why Is New Leftist Party 'Friend of Putin' in Germany Risky.
Sarah Wagenknecht is a veteran of German politics, born into a German-Iranian family. She grew up in East Germany and in 1989 joined the Marxist-Leninist Socialist Unity Party, which ruled in the German Democratic Republic. Since founding the traditionally pro-Russian Die Linke party in 2007, Wagenknecht has been its most prominent figure.
On 23 October, in Berlin, along with several like-minded individuals, Wagenknecht informed journalists that she establishes an association after her name – Alliance Sarah Wagenknecht – For Reason and Justice (BSW).
The goal of this association is to establish a new party in January, which aims at the European Parliament elections in June. Ultimately, it should have potential to overthrow the "worst government in the history of Germany."
Wagenknecht also hopes that her new project will run in local elections in three eastern federal states in 2024 – Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony. All three regions are crucial for far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which leads polls there and may be affected by future BSW.
Even though BSW does not officially exist yet, it is already making waves among the left in the Bundestag.
As some left-wing MPs move to Wagenknecht's new project, Die Linke will likely lose its status as a parliamentary group and, along with it, substantial funding from the Bundestag budget.
Even before the Berlin announcement, polls showed that her new venture has a good chance of success. According to an Insa survey for Bild am Sonntag, 27% of respondents could imagine voting for this party.
Particularly good prospects are seen among AfD supporters and Eastern Germans.
Voters who find it morally unacceptable to vote for the far right are willing to vote for the new political force.
A poll conducted after Wagenknecht's "benefit" in Berlin showed that her potential project could take the fourth place among all parties, with nearly the same result as the Social Democrats (SPD): 14% versus 15% for SPD.
Since the Wagenknecht party is still in the process of being created, its program has not yet been outlined. However, observers believe that the future political force will be a leader-centric project, created around one individual.
It is still too early to predict whether the Wagenknecht project will be successful. However, if it does happen, potentially, a new influential political force may emerge in Germany, aligned with the Kremlin – more powerful than Die Linke is today.
And this party could pose more risks than Alternative for Germany – because psychologically, it is easier for Germans to support the far-left rather than the far-right.