German left-populist BSW agrees to talks with right-wing AfD in Saxony-Anhalt

Germany’s left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) will hold talks with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, becoming the only party in the new Magdeburg state parliament to accept an invitation from Sunday’s election winner.

A BSW spokesperson said the state board voted unanimously Wednesday evening to speak with the AfD. BSW’s regional leader Thomas Schulze told reporters the party is “willing to talk to all parties,” as it said before the election. He described other parties’ refusal to engage as “poor political conduct” and “not a good sign for the democratic culture.”

The anti-immigration AfD won a landslide in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt election with 43.8% of vote and 39 of 83 seats in the Magdeburg state parliament — three short of the 42 needed to govern alone. The party’s top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, claimed a mandate to govern and said he would soon invite other parties to talks on possible coalition scenarios.

The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party rejected exploratory talks, saying they would not cooperate with a party the state domestic intelligence service has classified as a “proven right-wing extremist” organization.

Siegmund told a Magdeburg news conference Thursday that the AfD would hold talks with the BSW and with individual lawmakers from other parties in the coming days.

“We are fully aware of the potential mandate to govern; consequently, we have reached out to all parliamentary groups in the Saxony-Anhalt state legislature — extending a hand to everyone,” he said.

“As you know, we have currently received several refusals. Nevertheless, further talks are underway — including with the BSW and other individual lawmakers — to see if there is common ground that could pave the way for a stable majority.”

He said he is seeking to form a government that is as stable as possible and commands the broadest possible support.

The left-populist BSW entered the Magdeburg state parliament for the first time with 5.3% of vote and five seats. Party founder Sahra Wagenknecht has ruled out a formal coalition with the AfD but has not categorically excluded other forms of political support.

In a social media post, Wagenknecht said a majority in Saxony-Anhalt wants change and that the BSW would talk with the AfD about motions on shared priorities — affordable energy and a restart of Russian gas via the Nord Stream pipeline, reform of public broadcasting, and opposition to arms deliveries to Ukraine. She said she wants a cross-party premier standing for a political new start who must also be acceptable to the AfD and its voters.