A new leftist populist party in Germany is challenging the country’s pro-Ukraine consensus by demanding regional officials oppose military support for Kyiv, Reuters reports. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), launched early this year, has emerged as a “kingmaker in three east German states” – Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony – following its electoral successes in September, Reuters reports.
The party, which alongside the far-right AfD is the only one opposing arms supplies to Ukraine, is using its position to pressure mainstream parties into adopting its anti-war stance as a condition for local coalition formation, according to Reuters. The party is currently polling at 7-9% for next year’s federal election.
Reuters reports that this pressure recently resulted in the Brandenburg branch of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) endorsing a joint statement with BSW which declared:
“The war will not be ended by further weapons deliveries.”
However, Reuters reports that internal tensions have emerged within the BSW. In Thuringia, regional BSW leader Katja Wolf faced criticism from party headquarters for prioritizing stable government formation over the party’s anti-arms stance during coalition talks.
The BSW’s approach is also strengthening traditionally Russophile elements within the SPD, with the party recently appointing leftist Matthias Miersch – former Russia’s Gazprom employee – as General Secretary, as per Reuters.
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