Shortly before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, former SPD chairman Kurt Beck accuses the media of “hype” and uncritical reporting about Sahra Wagenknecht.
“The hype that many media outlets are making about Ms Wagenknecht is annoying. Sometimes there is hardly a TV talk show that she is not on. It borders on advertising,” Beck told the Tagesspiegel. He would like to see “more critical questions” asked of Wagenknecht.
So much egoism and egocentrism is extreme.
Kurt Beck about Sahra Wagenknecht
Beck accused Wagenknecht of egocentrism, destruction and a partly left-wing radical, partly right-wing radical attitude. “I don’t know anyone who is as self-centered as Ms. Wagenknecht,” said the former Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate. “So much egoism and egocentrism is extreme.”
“Wagenknecht has an enormously destructive power”
He continued: “All the organizations in which Ms. Wagenknecht was involved were ultimately damaged by her. Wagenknecht has an enormously destructive power.”
Now Wagenknecht is presenting herself “as a messiah, with a party named after herself,” said Beck. “It makes you wonder: what does she actually stand for? Sometimes she is radical left, sometimes she is radical right. She puts a positive spin on Putin, a man who attacks a neighboring nation out of lust for power. That is what connects Wagenknecht with the AfD, it is a pathetic spectacle.”
On September 1, the state parliaments in Saxony and Thuringia will be elected. According to surveys, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) can expect to receive around 13 percent (Saxony) and around 19 percent (Thuringia) straight away.
Kurt Beck led the SPD from 2006 to 2008 and was Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1994 to 2013.