Who is running for Chancellor of Germany. 5 facts about Sarah Wagenknecht

The leader of Sarah Wagenknecht's Union for Reason and Justice (BSW) party has been nominated as a candidate for the German chancellor's election to be held in February 2025. The politician, who left the Left Party over disagreements and then pushed back her former associates in the election, is considered a pro-Russian candidate. "Izvestia" tells what is known about Sarah Wagenknecht.

Fact 1: In the German press she is known as a "Stalinist"

- Sarah Wagenknecht knows Russian well, because she was born in the GDR, and in her school years she was even a member of the "Union of Free German Youth" (analog of the Pioneers. - Ed.). She read Karl Marx, was fond of the ideas of communism and hoped to save "socialist Germany". She was 19 years old when the Berlin Wall fell and the GDR and FRG were united. This event, according to her biographers, was a manifestation of "counter-revolution" and a personal failure for her.

- Sarah Wagenknecht's entire political career was built in left-wing parties, and her fascination with communism affected her academic preferences: the politician studied philosophy at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and defended her doctoral thesis on political economy.

- Sarah Wagenknecht is considered a pro-Russian politician because she opposes sanctions against Russia, although the rationale for this position is quite pragmatic: economic restrictions have deprived Germany of energy resources and given nothing in return. She promotes cutting off aid to Ukraine and starting peace talks, which has made her one of the most hated German politicians for Kiev.

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Fact 2: She opposes the "hospitality policy"

- The politician is remembered for her harsh criticism of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who lifted restrictions on accepting Syrian refugees. Born to a German woman and an Iranian student, Wagenknecht was bullied as a child because of her non-European appearance. But her family history and left-wing views did not stop her from speaking out against refugee migration to the FRG.

- According to Wagenknecht, the disproportionate number of refugees "overloads society": there should be no neighborhoods where locals are a minority, she says. The politician also believes that the population suffers from the migration policy of the authorities, as the influx of cheap labor keeps wages for Germans low. Her stance on migration has brought her closer to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AdG) party and allowed her to attract an additional electorate, as the constant influx of refugees has become one of the most pressing issues in German society.

Fact 3: Does not support climate extremism and a "culture of engagement"

- Sarah Wagenknecht criticized the eco-activist movement "Fridays for the Future" inspired by Greta Thunberg. According to the politician, the supporters of the green agenda are a privileged class of urban dwellers who can afford organic food and electric cars. Meanwhile, people in rural areas do not earn as much and drive gasoline engines. For them, the additional burden of €40-50 - a carbon tax - is substantial, the politician says.

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- Opponents of Sarah Wagenknecht accuse her of populism and speaking against minorities, because she voted against the bill to simplify the change of legal gender, passed by the German parliament in early 2024. The politician said at the time that the law "turns parents and children into guinea pigs for an ideology that only benefits the pharmaceutical lobby."

Fact 4. ignored Zelensky's speech in the Bundestag

- Sarah Wagenknecht's party and Alternative for Germany boycotted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's June speech (powers expire in May 2024) in the German Bundestag. Both parties oppose military support for Kiev. Wagenknecht's statement said that Zelensky is contributing to the escalation and risk of nuclear conflict for all of Europe and therefore "he should not be honored."

- Sarah Wagenknecht has previously advocated an objective view of the situation in Ukraine and a peaceful resolution of the crisis: in her opinion, "without compromise, this conflict cannot be ended." She also does not welcome the deployment of American missiles on German territory, which could make the country a possible target of a strike by Russia (we wrote in detail about the militarization of the European Union and the movement of American weapons here).

Fact 5: Quickly gained popularity

- Thanks to her coolness, youth, brilliant analysis and rhetoric, Sarah Wagenknecht gained popularity in the society. In 2023, she founded a new political organization, which she called the "Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance for Reason and Justice". In the regional elections in September 2024, the new party came in a strong third place.

- In the Western press, Sarah Wagenknecht has been called a "media phenomenon." Her statements opposing COVID-19 vaccination and mandatory mask wearing attracted "anti-vaccinationists" to her side, while her socialist orientation combined with conservatism helped rally those who supported right-wing views on climate and migration but did not want to be associated with nationalists, as supporters of the right-wing AdG are considered to be.

- The new political alliance not only siphoned off some of the AdG's votes, but also energized a segment of the electorate that had previously been unable to find a voice in the German political arena - the working class.