German political newcomer Sahra Wagenknecht has expressed her “joy” and “relief” over the performance of her party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), in the European elections.
“There is great potential,” Wagenknecht told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening. She said she now wants to build on this in the next elections.
According to forecasts by broadcaster ARD, the BSW achieved 5.7% in the European elections in Germany.
This was the first time the party was tested at the ballot box.
Wagenkecht, who opposes arms supplies to Ukraine, emphasized that she believes a diplomatic initiative is necessary in the Russian war. “Many people are afraid that the war will come to us too.”
The populist party combines left-wing social policies with an anti-immigrant stance and criticism of the European Union.
When asked where the BSW now sits on the party spectrum, Wagenknecht, a former star politician of the far-left Die Linke (Left), said: “It is not on the right.”
