Wagenknecht's Thuringia Gambit: Risk of Normalizing AfD

Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the BSW party, is pushing to topple the fragile coalition government in Thuringia, composed of CDU, SPD, and BSW. She aims to replace it with a cabinet that governs through shifting majorities, a move that would break traditional coalition dynamics. This strategy involves bringing the far-right AfD out of political isolation, potentially benefiting Björn Höcke and his party. Wagenknecht views the BSW's eastern state branches as pawns without political autonomy, which she can reposition at will on the strategic chessboard. Her plan has sparked debate about whether it would deradicalize the AfD or merely remove the taboo surrounding it. The article, published on Freitag, analyzes the risks of this political maneuvering in Thuringia.