Will Merz resign?

“I assume that Friedrich Merz will no longer be chancellor by Christmas,” Sahra Wagenknecht said in an interview with RND.

BSW is so far the only party to have signaled its willingness to cooperate with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), thereby opening up the possibility for the party to lead a state government.

Speaking about possible cooperation, Wagenknecht warned the AfD not to abandon efforts to form a government, as this would pave the way for new snap elections in Saxony-Anhalt.

“We will not give in to blackmail. I assume that if the AfD is seriously considering new elections, many of its voters will ask themselves what the party’s attitude is toward their votes,” Wagenknecht said.

She said that the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, would have to be prepared to take office as state premier and form a minority government without the support of the BSW.

Possible new elections could once again result in the BSW being excluded from the state parliament, but the AfD would also have reasons to avoid them, Wagenknecht said.

“We cannot be threatened. I assume that if the AfD seriously advocates for new elections, many of its voters will ask themselves what kind of attitude that is toward their votes,” Wagenknecht said.

She added that it was “quite possible” that a majority of the traditional parties could be formed again following new elections.

Many in the AfD believe that forming a new government, even after elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, could take several more weeks.

Wagenknecht, however, is hoping for an opportunity to propose a “non-partisan state premier,” which she is also advocating for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.