Saxony-Anhalt: BSW wants to pass Ukraine proposal with AfD

AfD and BSW want to pass the first joint proposal soon after the historic constitutive meeting in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. It's about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The state parliament should determine that the policy of sanctions against Russia as well as the arms deliveries and financial aid to Ukraine have failed, according to the draft application. There will be a special session of parliament in Magdeburg for this purpose.

The application calls on the state government to “use all the means at its disposal, in particular through a corresponding initiative in the Federal Council, to prevent further escalation in Ukraine and to implement a peace-building policy.” The focus should be on diplomacy. "What is necessary is an immediate ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations with Russia."

The aim is to normalize economic relations between Germany and Russia and to immediately lift the economic sanctions, according to the draft from the more Russia-friendly parties. Such a request would have a primarily symbolic effect; the central authority regarding aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia lies in Berlin and Brussels.

AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund, who wants to be elected as the new Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt in December, said of the motion: "We will finally exhaust all possibilities to increase the political pressure on Berlin, finally work for an end to the war instead of prolonging it and spend the billions in tax money on the people of our country instead of on weapons on the battlefields of Ukraine!"

Special meeting next week

BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht said that Germany must take care of the dialogue with Moscow "instead of pushing forward an escalation that will eventually end in war." She insinuated that Merz was traveling to Kyiv with a "suitcase of money."

BSW parliamentary group leader Thomas Schulze told the dpa news agency that a peace proposal had been promised before the election. »We are now keeping this election promise. Magdeburg is sending a peace policy signal to Berlin." His deputy Claudia Wittig emphasized: "We need a policy that again thinks more about Köthen than Kyiv." Germany is the number one war financier. "We can no longer afford this war."

Wittig later emphasized to journalists in Magdeburg that they had quickly agreed on the application with the AfD. "That doesn't mean at all that we have to support any of the AfD's other positions." She expects the acting Prime Minister Sven Schulze (CDU) to submit the proposal to the Federal Council in November.

The special session of the state parliament is scheduled to take place on October 14th. According to the rules of procedure, a quarter of the members can request a meeting. »The President must immediately convene the state parliament for a meeting at least with the desired subject matter to be discussed. The meeting must take place within a reasonable time, but no later than two weeks after receipt of the application.