BSW “has criticized the ‘firewall’ against the AfD from the very beginning,” the leaders of Wagenknecht’s party wrote in a letter to the far-right party’s national leaders dated June 26. “It is undemocratic and does not solve any problems.”
The AfD maintains a strong lead in polls ahead of two September state elections in eastern Germany, where BSW also has pockets of support. But because other parties have refused to form coalitions with the AfD, it’s unclear whether the far-right party’s polling lead will translate into political power.
Wagenknecht’s party is now seeking to break the firewall by offering to govern in cooperation with the AfD in the two eastern states on the condition the far-right party agrees to install “nonpartisan” premiers to lead the regional governments and work in “shifting alliances.” The somewhat confusing proposal falls short of an offer to govern in a coalition, but could potentially bring the AfD out of its political isolation.
In an interview with POLITICO, BSW’s co-chair, Fabio De Masi, portrayed the far-right firewall as a failure and the offer of cooperation with the AfD as a way to ensure that the party doesn’t take even greater power.
“If the established parties continue down this path — essentially always just joining forces based on the lowest common denominator to block the AfD — it will eventually lead to the AfD securing absolute majorities, at which point it will be able to govern unchecked,” De Masi said. “And that’s why we’re trying to find a third way — one that demonstrates to citizens that we’re solving problems and that, since the AfD has 40 percent of the vote [in polls in Saxony-Anhalt], we must also involve it in certain policy decisions.”
Blurring the left-right divide
Wagenknecht founded BSW in 2024 after breaking away from the far-left Die Linke party to launch what she described as a movement of “left conservatism” that blurred the traditional left-right divide. While advocating traditionally left-wing policies such as an expansive welfare state, she also embraced some anti-immigration positions and pursued a Moscow-friendly foreign policy, echoing the AfD’s positions.