Germany’s populist left wants an anti-establishment pact with the far right

BERLIN — An iconic figure of Germany’s far left is extending a hand to the surging far right in an effort to bring down the mainstream parties governing the country.

Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, or BSW, the populist-left party founded by Sahra Wagenknecht — formerly a member of East Germany’s ruling communist party and one of the country’s best-known politicians — says it is prepared to work with the far-right Alternative for Germany to defeat the establishment they both rail against.

The offer to break the so-called firewall that keeps other parties from working with the far right is at least in part intended to bolster Wagenknecht’s own party as it tries to peel away AfD voters, and it potentially augurs the birth of a radical, left-right alliance in eastern Germany, where distrust of the centrist parties that have long governed is more widespread than in the West of the country.

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.

For a period, her newly founded party soared in opinion polls, but it suffered a major blow in last year’s snap federal election, winning 4.98 percent of the vote — just short of the 5 percent threshold needed to make it into parliament — after Die Linke surged in great part due to support among German youth.

Still, Wagenknecht’s party retains pockets of support, particularly in the former East Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania — the two eastern states where elections will be held in September — BSW is currently polling near the five percent mark needed to enter the state parliaments.

By showing a willingness to cooperate with the AfD in these states, BSW is likely attempting to siphon away some of the far-right party’s supporters. Both parties advocate the resumption of oil and gas exports from Russia, and the reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipelines — policies that draw particular support in eastern Germany.

The AfD is aiming to win absolute majorities in both eastern states where elections will be held in September — a result that would mean it could govern without coalition partners. The party is close to achieving that outcome in Saxony-Anhalt, according to polls.

But it’s also possible the AfD would need the help of a smaller party like BSW to govern in one or both states. For that reason, party leaders suggest they may be willing to talk to Wagenknecht’s party.

“BSW faces the challenge of clearing the 5 percent threshold in the upcoming state elections,” Daniel Tapp, a spokesperson for AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel, told POLITICO in a written statement. “If it succeeds, the AfD will, of course, be ready to hold talks.”

In BSW’s June 26 letter to the AfD’s leaders, the populist-left party also proposed a series of debates between Wagenknecht and Weidel to take place across eastern Germany in order to circumvent the role of Germany’s public television, which BSW leaders described as  “increasingly degenerating into a propaganda-driven state broadcaster.” Tapp, however, rejected that proposal.

Analysts say BSW’s efforts to peel away AfD votes by offering to cooperate with the party are unlikely to succeed.

“BSW is currently fighting for its survival,” said Benjamin Höhne, a political scientist at the University of Chemnitz. “To generate media attention, the BSW apparently considers any means justified, such as moving closer to the AfD. However, AfD voters have found their political home and are unlikely to leave it.”