With just 2.1 million inhabitants, or 2.5% of the country's population, Thuringia is one of Germany's least populous states. Yet, the upcoming elections to be held there on Sunday, September 1, are anxiously anticipated. This is primarily because the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, led by the ultra-radical Björn Höcke, has a good chance of emerging as the winner, with the latest polls giving it 30% of the vote – seven points higher than in the 2019 regional elections. Additionally, the newly formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), founded only seven months ago, is close to securing 20% of voter support. If these trends are confirmed at the ballot box, this breakthrough could have an impact far beyond the borders of this small region of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Positioning the BSW politically is no easy task. On economic and social issues, it closely aligned with Die Linke ("the Left"), which is hardly surprising given that Wagenknecht was for many years one of the most influential figures in the party's most orthodox faction, the Communist Platform, dedicated to upholding the legacy of Karl Marx.

On societal issues, on the other hand, the BSW has adopted a more conservative stance. Wagenknecht left Die Linke at the end of 2023 because she felt that her party had become the voice of a "lifestyle left, committed to diversity and open borders, and against racism and climate change." These are certainly "honorable" causes, but, in her opinion, they "mainly interest educated big-city groups," at the risk of "creating resentment among less privileged people, who have the impression that they are not being talked to about the real problems of everyday life."

In rural Thuringia, with its vast forests and lack of large metropolitan areas, this perspective resonates strongly. Born in Jena, the region's economic capital, Wagenknecht has made it a central theme of her campaign. Her approach clearly strikes a chord, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response she received when she mocked "trendy people in big cities who drink oat milk and macchiato, shop at organic stores, and ride cargo bikes," during a meeting in Altenburg square on August 20, where she spoke to nearly 400 people. Also present was her husband, Oskar Lafontaine, former chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD, 1995-1999), short-lived finance minister under Gerhard Schröder (1998-1999) and co-founder, in 2007, of Die Linke, which he also eventually left.

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