Foreign policy dominates regional elections in Germany

DW (English)

Thuringia and Saxony are going to the polls in regional elections, and two parties are expected to do well: one on the far right and one on the far left. Unusually for local elections, the focus is on foreign policy and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Transcript

00:00Pirna, a small town between Dresden and the Czech border.

00:05Its early morning and already members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party are

00:10up campaigning.

00:12Polls indicate their party could win at least 30% in the regional elections, their best

00:17result yet.

00:19High above their election tent – a dove of peace.

00:22The IFD is making Germany's foreign policy a big issue locally.

00:27Especially its stance on Russia's war in Ukraine.

00:30I wish for Ukrainian people that the war will end.

00:35But can one still talk with Russia at all?

00:38I simply say, you can talk to anyone.

00:41You just have to do it.

00:42And I also think that if peace talks are on the horizon, Mr. Putin will definitely be

00:47willing to talk.

00:51Their message resonates with some voters.

00:54Many here oppose Germany's support for Ukraine.

00:57They say the war concerns them more than domestic issues.

01:02The most important thing for me is peace, not an arms race, dialogue.

01:11I wish for peace in the world.

01:14And I would like Germany not to get involved in this war even more.

01:22Elsewhere in Pirna, there is scepticism about the influence a regional vote can have on

01:27geopolitics.

01:30Peace is nice, but you shouldn't talk about that to the people here.

01:33You should tell it to Mr. Putin.

01:34You really have to think about what the Saxon government can do and what it can't.

01:40What does the state parliament in Saxony have to do with foreign policy issues?

01:46And it's not just the AFD.

01:48The newly formed left-wing Sarah Wagenknecht's alliance, or BSW, has centered its entire

01:54campaign around peace.

01:57It's a note which strikes a chord in East Germany, where nostalgia for the Soviet past

02:01and resentment towards USA and NATO are still strong.

02:06Over a thousand supporters have gathered in downtown Dresden to hear the founder and face

02:11of the party.

02:12A band plays a Russian song to warm up the crowd.

02:21But not everyone likes what they're hearing.

02:23Many say Wagenknecht's peace narrative is playing along with Putin's propaganda efforts.

02:30Putin is a war criminal who started this war of aggression, and he belongs before the court

02:35in The Hague.

02:39Sarah Wagenknecht is practically his spokeswoman in Germany.

02:43She's spreading his lies.

02:46Wagenknecht rejects this criticism.

02:49Don't let yourselves be fooled by tales that we are Putin's friends, when we are the ones

02:54advocating for peace and diplomacy.

02:57Whether these messages prove effective is ultimately down to voters in Saxony on Sunday.

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