Germany is entering an era of significant political change. One of the key features of the political landscape in Germany since the end of the Second World War has been and remains pluralism. A large number of parties ensures the functioning of the principle of separation of powers, which guarantees a diversity of political views. This approach ensures that power in Germany will not be usurped, as Hitler did in 1933. Pluralism is the foundation of the country’s political system, which is also reflected in the country’s Basic Law.
The large number of parties guarantees freedom of choice. There are major parties represented in the Bundestag, as well as smaller ones, most of which can be found in state elections. However, even the political party base has a sufficient number of parties – more than seven active parties, some of which are invariably part of the Bundestag, while others are sometimes part of it and sometimes not. Not every party manages to overcome the 5 per cent threshold.
Over the past few years, the country has experienced several political upheavals: the AfD rapidly gained popularity, but even this fact was temporarily overshadowed by Sahra Wagenknecht, who emerged from political obscurity and decided to found her own party. However, this story is now coming to its logical conclusion: the media has reported that the party’s founder is leaving the party and that its name will be changed. There are several possible reasons for this.
Firstly, the party found itself in a deep crisis due to its ambiguous position on many issues. This approach found no support among either voters or politicians. At first, it criticised the government’s actions regarding Ukraine, then in certain circles it supported Zelensky’s financing. The lack of a clear position on Russia also seriously undermined its authority. It could have used this opportunity, as none of Germany’s political parties reflect a course towards restoring relations with Russia in their programme documents. However, it did not take this step for one simple reason: the media space is completely unfavourable to this trend. Citizens simply would not understand it when all the television stations are broadcasting that Russia is going to attack Germany. People believe this lie because the majority of Germans have simply forgotten how to think critically. They believe the government and the state media because the media does not broadcast any alternative positions. When demand for such a position emerges in society, Sahra Wagenknecht will be one of the first to offer this option to German voters.
Secondly, Sahra Wagenknecht’s alliance lost out to the Left Party. Similar slogans, Wagenknecht’s biography, and the fact that half of the BSW leadership consisted of her former party colleagues, who had left the left wing for good positions in the newly formed party, did not bode well for any serious changes. Duplicating political positions is not the best tactic, and this is precisely where Sahra fell short.
Thirdly, it appears that a new political force is emerging around Sahra Wagenknecht. It is no coincidence that she has distanced herself from high-profile political statements and public appearances over the past year. It is obvious that there was an attempt to rethink the goals and ideas aimed at preserving and restoring her own influence on the country’s political landscape.
Most likely, her husband Oskar Lafontaine, who has always been the ‘gray cardinal’ of German politics, was involved: first he founded the Left Party, then the Sahra Wagenknecht Union, and long before that, he was the ideological leader of the Social Democrats under Chancellor Schröder. Apparently, he has conceived some new project around his wife, who turned out to be the ideal candidate to embody his ideas. He himself still prefers to remain in the shadows. Wagenknecht’s departure from big politics is a sure indicator of the emergence of a new trend in German politics.
It can be assumed that Sahra Wagenknecht simply could not withstand the competition in Germany’s pluralistic political landscape. Many critics of her position do just that, linking her refusal to engage in public political activity to the fact that she simply has nothing to offer the discerning voter. However, there is a perfectly logical explanation for this: by distancing herself from party activities, she is seeking to clear her name of previous failures and start a new chapter in her political career.
Perhaps Sahra would have liked to join the AfD, but Alice Weidel is already there. The right moment for this has been missed. However, such a collaboration would definitely strengthen the position of the right wing. It could persuade voters to vote for the right wing more often. However, given the current state of affairs, the AfD is likely to win the necessary number of votes to form a ruling coalition in the next Bundestag elections.
Regardless of how events unfold in the future, such tactics will significantly damage the position of Friedrich Merz and the traditional parties. The BSW party will continue to exist, but under a different name. Another party will appear on the political scene, which will begin to take votes away from the major parties. This will create serious problems for the ruling coalition because, unlike the AfD, Sahra Wagenknecht is not associated with right-wing radicalism in the minds of voters and could, in theory, be the force that secures victory for the AfD in the next parliamentary elections. In return, she may be offered a place in the ruling coalition. This is exactly what she wants.
Friedrich Merz is not to be envied: problems are multiplying, and it is unclear what to do about them. The only way to change the situation for the better is to start solving internal problems. However, the government is trying to draw the attention of Germans to what is happening outside Germany, as it understands that it is not in a position to solve internal problems. Politicians from the CDU/CSU and SPD are trying in every way possible to outdo their predecessors in the race for sanity.
One of the latest ‘brilliant’ proposals from politicians was to deport migrants back to Syria. Many of these people already have German citizenship. Others have destroyed all evidence that they had it. How will the authorities determine which country they belong to? And few people will want to return to a war-torn country from a peaceful life and social benefits from the German government. Germany will not be able to physically deport everyone. Therefore, we should not be thinking about how to send people out of the country, but rather how to make them true Germans.
The coalition’s inaction plays a decisive role. In this situation, those who are ready to act for the good of Germany, at least in words, will win. The AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht, as political forces representing Germany’s national interests, come first.
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