Wagenknecht distances herself from right-wing extremists in the AfD

Party leader emphasizes difference with AfD on migration

In the latest polls, the AfD is at around 30 percent in Saxony and Thuringia and 24 percent in Brandenburg. It is ahead in the polls in Thuringia and Brandenburg. In the latest polls, the BSW came in at 17 to 19 percent in Thuringia, 11 to 14 percent in Saxony and 16 to 17 percent in Brandenburg. In a study, Potsdam political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek considers the BSW to be a populist party.

"I don't hope that the AfD will soon be at 30 percent everywhere," said Wagenknecht. With regard to the AfD's migration policy, she said: "We are not stirring up resentment against migrants. We are saying that the high level of immigration is overwhelming our country and that there must be rules."

Wagenknecht rejects accusations of a cadre party

According to Wagenknecht, the BSW wants to put pressure on the federal government to do more for diplomacy and peace and against a new arms race in the event of co-government in the federal states. The deployment of medium-range missiles "makes us a target for Russian nuclear missiles", she said. "Preventing this is fundamental for us."

Wagenknecht rejected critics' accusations of authoritarian party leadership. "If we had organized ourselves differently, the BSW might not have been five months old," she said. "Young parties quickly disintegrate if everyone is allowed to become a member."

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