Germany's left-populist Wagenknecht Alliance open to talks with far right AfD
German mainstream parties including the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, the Greens, and the socialist Left refuse to cooperate with the AfD at a national level. In May, the country's intelligence services classified the party as "extremist".
While denying that any talks were taking place, Wagenknecht told the German press agency dpa that her BSW party could approach the AfD and their co-leader, Tino Chrupalla.
'If you ask me whether I would also talk to Mr Chrupalla if there was a concrete reason to do so, ... [the answer would be] yes, of course," she said.
She referred to a controversial meeting in the state of Thuringia between BSW's state parliamentary leader Frank Augsten and the AfD's Björn Höcke, a prominent figure on the party's most extreme wing. By official accounts, the two-hour meeting focused on an ongoing parliamentary deadlock over judicial appointments.
Chrupalla welcomed Wagenknecht's openness, claiming that there were ongoing informal talks with BSW.
'We're already speaking about what moves Germany and how we can change majorities,' he told German broadcaster Welt TV . 'Undemocratic' exclusion
BSW had split from the Left in 2024 over Wagenknecht's criticism of the party's progressive social and migration policy, which she argued was neglecting the needs of the working class.
Critics have since branded her "close to the AfD" and Russia-friendly over her criticism of Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Wagenknecht herself has described her political views as "left-conservative". She has previously ruled out working with the AfD – Germany's second-most popular party –, but criticised its political isolation.
"The AfD is currently supported by more than one in five voters," she said. "Exclusion and bans on speech are undemocratic and a slap in the face for these voters, which will only bind them even more to the AfD."
The BSW has been going through a rough patch, however. After a number of successful elections in 2024, including the European elections, it failed to win a single seat in Germany's national elections in February.
The BSW is yet to join a group in the European Parliament, having failed to launch a new one alongside the remnants of Italy's Five Star Movement.
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