The BSW is entering the federal elections in Saxony with Leipzig journalism professor Marcel Machill as its top candidate. The 56-year-old was elected unopposed to first place on the state list with a good 75 percent, according to a party spokeswoman.
Machill cited social justice and equal opportunities as the most important issues: "Things have to be fair in Germany." He himself was a working-class child - his father a master bricklayer, his mother a children's nurse - and was able to become a professor thanks to a good education and scholarships. In his view, there needs to be a reform of inheritance tax, a minimum wage of 15 euros and better support for company founders, especially in eastern Germany. More venture capital should help with this. He wants to stand up for the interests of SMEs and reduce bureaucracy for these companies. Performance must be rewarded, but "obscenely high" salaries, for example for railroad managers, should be limited, Machill emphasized.
