Allied Left and Alternative for Germany Factions
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Despite the Business and Social Welfare Party (BSW) failing to secure a seat in the Bundestag, Sahra Wagenknecht, its leader, has a daring plan to prevent the rearmament of the Bundeswehr: left-wingers at the expense of mainstream consensus should collaborate with the controversial AfD.
Wagenknecht, in an interview with the German Press Agency (dpa), urged critics of the black-red financial package to thwart the scheduled vote on Tuesday by sabotaging the extraordinary session of the old Bundestag. To achieve this, the Left Party and AfD would jointly request the convening of the new Bundestag. Unfortunately, Wagenknecht's own party cannot make the request due to missing out on a seat in the new Bundestag.
Politics & the Vote in the Bundestag
Wagenknecht illuminated the legal basis for this tactic to dpa: "The Federal Constitutional Court has once more emphasized in its rejection of the urgent applications: the new Bundestag must convene if a third of the members demand it." Wagenknecht concluded, "Then the old Bundestag may no longer meet, and make no further decisions."
Following the budget committee of the old Bundestag's recommendation to adopt the necessary constitutional amendments for additional debt increases, an extraordinary session is scheduled for Tuesday.
Wagenknecht: No Affiliation with AfD
Wagenknecht propagated the Left Party to take this step to obstruct "the largest debt and rearmament program in the history of the Federal Republic." The former chair of the Left Party in the Bundestag highlighted that her former party wouldn't need to collaborate with the AfD for this objective. "It would simply have to notify the President of the Bundestag that it is demanding the immediate convening of the new Bundestag," Wagenknecht told dpa.
Article 39 of the Basic Law states: "The Bundestag serves a term of four years. Its term ends with the convening of a new Bundestag." Paragraph 3 also governs: "The Bundestag determines the end and the resumption of its sessions. The President of the Bundestag may convene it earlier. He must do so, if a third of the members, the Federal President, or the Federal Chancellor demand."
Together, AfD and the Left Party hold 216 of the 630 seats in the new 21st Bundestag, surpassing the necessary two-thirds or 210 seats. Thus, Left and AfD would constitute a blocking minority in the new Bundestag. Addressing the Left Party, Wagenknecht inquired, "How genuinely opposed to rearmament are they if they don’t seize this opportunity?" Both AfD, Left, and BSW staunchly oppose the rearmament of the Bundeswehr against an aggressive Russia.
- Special Assets
- Bundeswehr
Wagenknecht's suggestion to partner with the divisive AfD reflects the challenging state of German politics, with factions finding common ground in their criticism of the current Ukraine policy and military spending. However, the polarizing nature of the alliance could diminish its appeal to potential supporters. The strategic move could reveal unforeseen challenges in navigating the balancing act of opposing military spendings while maintaining political credibility.
- Wagenknecht's plan to halt Bundeswehr rearmament involves the Left Party and AfD jointly requesting the convening of the new Bundestag, as per Article 39 of the Basic Law, which states that if a third of the members demand it, the Bundestag must convene.
- Together, the Left Party and AfD comprise a blocking minority in the new Bundestag, with 216 seats, surpassing the necessary two-thirds or 210 seats, and could obstruct decisions such as the vote on the scheduled budget committee's recommendation to adopt constitutional amendments for additional debt increases.
- By taking this step to obstruct the largest debt and rearmament program in the Federal Republic's history, the Left Party, according to Wagenknecht, wouldn't need to collaborate closely with the AfD, as they all share the common ground of opposing the rearmament of the Bundeswehr against an aggressive Russia.
