Berlin – Joachim Gauck, former President of Germany, called for the same level of opposition against the new alliance led by Sahra Wagenknecht as against the AfD (Alternative for Germany) party. He stated that he does not miss Die Linke (The Left) party. „I do not consider Die Linke necessary in Germany, and certainly not the AfD. But we have them. As long as they are elected in democratic elections and do not place themselves outside of our constitution, we must tolerate them, even if we do not have to like them,“ Gauck told the newspapers of the Mediengruppe Bayern.
„We are even called upon to argue with them. And with regard to the AfD and the Wagenknecht alliance, we should do so even more, in order to defend our open and liberal society.“
Gauck believes that the new Wagenknecht party combines „selected left-wing arguments with nationalist-populist arguments“ and will primarily attract voters from the Social Democrats and the AfD. „Like the AfD, it also shows an understanding for Putin and plays down the threat posed by the Russian warmonger. It could also be attractive to those who formed a ‚front‘ during the coronavirus protests. Among them are people who feel overwhelmed by the conditions of political and cultural modernity.“
