(Adnkronos) – Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, Alternative for Germany, has rejected the proposal from the Bsw, the party founded by Sahra Wagenknecht after the split from Die Linke (The Left), for joint election events during the campaigns ahead of the two regional votes in September, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the AfD – according to polls – dominates voter preferences. This was confirmed to Der Spiegel by the spokesperson for the AfD leader, who declared herself “naturally” open to dialogue, but reiterated that each party is responsible for its own election campaign.
Weidel’s office, however, left a door open, with a significant observation: the Bsw – it noted – must face the challenge of the five percent minimum vote threshold to enter parliament in the upcoming regional elections. “Should it achieve this goal, the AfD naturally declares itself available for dialogue,” the spokesperson stated. The response disappointed the Bsw leadership: “Ms. Weidel is backing down and is afraid of losing a duel with Sahra Wagenknecht,” the party’s co-leader Fabio de Masi told Der Spiegel.
Last Friday, the Bsw leadership (Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason) proposed to the AfD to organize joint debates ahead of the upcoming elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Specifically, Weidel was supposed to debate with the Bsw founder, Sahra Wagenknecht, ‘Der Spiegel’ reported.
