German populist Sahra Wagenknecht denounces far-right leader Höcke
German populist politician Sahra Wagenknecht said her upstart party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), would absolutely not consider coalition talks with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) following elections in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia.
Wagenknecht in particular denounced the AfD’s firebrand leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke.
“Mr Höcke represents a völkisch [ethno-nationalist] world view, which is miles away from us,” Wagenknecht said during an appearance on public broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening. “We have always said that we cannot work with Mr Höcke.”
Wagenknecht has described her politics as “left-conservative” and has campaigned on a mix of anti-immigration and left-wing economic policies. She is also a staunch opponent of German military aid for Ukraine.
On Sunday evening, Wagenknecht again hinted that the BSW might be open to voting for individual AfD proposals in state parliament.
Katja Wolf (R), state chairwoman and lead candidate of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Thuringia and Steffen Schuetz, state chairman and lead candidate of the BSW in Thuringia, react with party chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht after the first forecast results for the state election in Thuringia, at the election party of the BSW. Christoph Soeder/dpa
Bjoern Hoecke, lead candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, speaks after the first forecast results for the state election in Thuringia. Michael Kappeler/dpa
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