Sahara Wagenknecht is openly considering forming a new party. What really stops it?
ZDFtoday: Miss Wagenknecht, you don’t want to run for Die Linke anymore and you play with the idea of starting your own party in front of everyone. Why haven’t they gone yet?
Sarah Wagenknecht: On the one hand, there are many members who think like me and still connect with me. For example, many left-wing associations mobilized and organized buses for our peace rally. On the other hand, the presence of the parliamentary group is a valuable asset. It would be irresponsible to endanger them unnecessarily.
But, of course, I must admit that the party leadership has followed a path that has almost nothing to do with my sensible left-wing politics. And it can count on a clear majority among party officials.
ZDFtoday: When will you reveal whether you have formed a party or not?
Wagenknecht: The establishment of a party also depends on prerequisites of a legal nature, you have to build structures. The expectation that anyone – even if they have decided – can start such a party from one week to the next will be doomed to failure. Now many people write to me: let me know when it starts, I will join. Of course I’m happy about it, but unfortunately it’s not that simple.
New parties always run the risk of not only smart and honestly committed people, but also difficult people – sometimes those who have already gone through all kinds of parties. I’ve experienced with “stand up” that something like this can cause a project to fail.
ZDFtoday: Can you tell me when you still want to decide?
Wagenknecht: I anticipate that decisions will be made in the next nine months. By the end of the year, it should be clear what will happen next.
ZDFtoday: Group leader Dietmar Bartsch said he would like to get you more involved again. Do you hear this offer? Would that be a reason for you to stay?
Wagenknecht: I have always worked well with Dietmar Bartsch and of course I hope to be able to speak again in Parliament in the near future. But we also have the party leadership that sees things very differently.
ZDFtoday: You as a person are not yet a party program. How long does it take to develop such a party program?
Wagenknecht: Teen parties often start with a rudimentary program where you only show your position on important issues. On the left, the program process continued only when the left already existed.
No longer should a party claim to have a fully formulated party program of 30 pages as soon as it is formed. It is about fundamental goals: peace, freedom, social justice. We need a party that convincingly defends this.
ZDFtoday: Is it also possible for you to leave the party and not form a new party?
Wagenknecht: A lot can be thought of. As a writer and publisher, I can also imagine a perspective. But I also want to make a difference politically, I’ll say it honestly. You’re just starting a project like this if you can’t guarantee important prerequisites – we won’t do that. I don’t want to fail my political career.
ZDFtoday: Have you received any signals from other parliamentary group members that they will join the founding of the party?
Wagenknecht: Of course, there is a lot of discussion and interest.
ZDFtoday: You experienced burnout once and had to retire repeatedly for health reasons. Does the question of whether they have the strength to form a party also play a role?
Wagenknecht: This is a question I naturally ask myself. I know what I can and cannot do. Therefore, a new project can only work with a truly reliable team that deals with many things that I have no talent for. I can’t do that as a one-man show.
ZDFtoday: Thanks for the talk.
The interview was conducted by Andrea Maurer, correspondent of ZDF Capital Studio.
Source: ZDF
I am Timothy Glover, a professional journalist and content creator. I specialize in writing and editing for news websites, specifically covering politics. I have been working as an author at News Unrolled for the past five years and have built up a reputation for producing quality content that is both informative and engaging.
