In a significant development with far-reaching political implications, senior members of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) have held exploratory talks in recent days about potential cooperation.
An initial meeting took place in the Eastern German state of Thuringia, where the left-wing nationalist BSW’s state leader Frank Augsten met the right-wing populist AfD’s regional leader Björn Höcke. Both parties described the meeting as “constructive and open.”
AfD federal co-leader Tino Chrupalla confirmed in an interview that talks between the two parties are underway on a federal level as well.
This unfolding cooperation marks a seismic shift in German politics, where the AfD is an outcast, despite being the second most popular party in the country.
Mainstream political forces have erected a so-called Brandmauer, a firewall around the party whose tough anti-immigration policies they despise. Not even the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance is willing to forge an alliance even at a state level with the AfD, despite voters advocating for such a collaboration particularly in the East.
In September 2024, AfD captured 33% of the votes in Thuringia, becoming the largest force in the state parliament. The BSW won 16%, finishing third, but ended up forming a coalition with the CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD).
Elections in 2024 in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony brought similar results but the AfD—which finished second in both states—has been denied the opportunity of entering government.
The BSW, a breakaway party, which split from the far-left Die Linke last year, could be the first party to officially forge some sort of alliance with the AfD. This would not be that surprising, given the two parties’ similar stance on a variety of issues, such as harbouring socially conservative policies, rejecting illegal immigration, and advocating for peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
“Not talking to the AfD is a slap in the face of voters,” Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the party, which was named after her, argued after the meeting between the Thuringia party leaders. She said dialogue should be based on democratic legitimacy, not ideological purity.
Tino Chrupalla confirmed that similar discussions are underway at the federal level, with the AfD co-leaders, including Alice Weidel, “always” ready to engage with Wagenknecht’s camp. He argued that such talks would help achieve issue-based “shifting majorities” to pass legislation in line with citizens’ interests.
Wagenknecht has denied that talks have begun on a federal level, but even so, by coordinating with each other on a state level, the two populist forces could dramatically reshape regional governance. A formal or informal alliance could unlock majorities in state parliaments where the AfD would only be able to govern alone if it gained a majority at the next regional elections.
In the current, 88-seat state parliament of Thuringia, the AfD and the BSW would have a majority of 47 seats if they decided to work together. In Brandenburg they would have half of all seats, but in Saxony, they would fall short of a majority. The first step toward achieving a breakthrough—allowing the AfD to pass legislation—would therefore only be possible in Thuringia.
