Wagenknecht complains in Dresden about “a particularly bad pension system”
The party leader hopes that the state election will herald the end of the traffic light coalition. However, she has set a condition for participation in the government in Saxony.
Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW Federal Chairwoman, speaks at an election campaign event on Dresden’s Schlossplatz. © Robert Michael/dpa
She signs her book “The Self-Righteous”, shakes hands and is available for selfies: Sahra Wagenknecht’s appearance in Dresden has elements of pop. There is a large crowd around the politician, and shouts of “Sahra” can be heard. The audience wishes her every success in the election on Sunday.
Wagenknecht smiles, poses for photos, and walks along the barrier in front of the stage accompanied by bodyguards. In Saxony, it seems that her alliance BSW will form a strong parliamentary group shortly after its founding, and may even take on government responsibility.
The former Left Party member has indicated that her current party is keen to do so. Wagenknecht formulated it as a condition on Wednesday: “If Saxony gets a new government and we join this government, then we expect this government to take a clear position on the missile issue and say: No, we don’t want that.” This means saying no to the stationing of American medium-range weapons in Germany from 2026.
Barbs against possible coalition partner CDU
The postscript is also interesting. Wagenknecht wants a political debate about it. This puts her not so far away from CDU government leader Michael Kretschmer. He is also calling for a public debate and is suggesting a referendum. Will the conservative Saxony CDU enter into a coalition with Wagenknecht, who has left the Left Party? That is not unlikely.
But the election campaign is still underway: And that is why Saxony’s BSW boss Sabine Zimmermann is making jabs against the CDU, albeit moderately in parts. Every vote for Kretschmer is also a vote for CDU boss Friedrich Merz, who wants to supply more weapons to Ukraine. She accuses the CDU, Greens, SPD and FDP of “warmongering”. The former Left Party MP also speaks about the deadly knife attack in Solingen, in which three people died. With regard to the suspected perpetrator, Zimmermann is calling for a consistent deportation policy.
In her half-hour speech to several hundred listeners, Wagenknecht focused on four main topics: peace policy, pensions, education and social issues. Of course, Russia’s attack on Ukraine was against international law. But several US presidents had also initiated wars that were against international law. Germany had spoken to them. More commitment to diplomacy was needed. Weapons deliveries prevented the end of the war.
Visitors and opponents of a campaign event of the BSW Saxony for the state election follow the speech of Wagenknecht, BSW Federal Chairwoman, on the Schlossplatz. © Robert Michael/dpa
With regard to poverty in old age, Wagenknecht stresses: “We have a particularly bad pension system.” She wants to change it along the lines of Austria, where everyone – including “the self-employed and politicians” – pays into one pot. Germany has a “terrible education system” that does not guarantee equal opportunities and blocks opportunities for children from low-income families to advance. And although a lot of money flows into the health system, it is profit-oriented and not sufficiently focused on the needs of patients.
Wagenknecht has received a lot of applause for all of this. She routinely throws in criticism of leading Greens, whose lives are spent between cargo bikes, organic food stores and oat milk macchiatos. She doesn’t spare SPD minister Karl Lauterbach either. She accuses him of being responsible as an advisor for the current hospital system, which pays well for certain operations and poorly for other interventions. In surveys, the BSW is getting up to 15 percent. Wagenknecht hopes that the state elections will herald the end of the traffic light coalition.
