Without a doubt, Sahra Wagenknecht’s new party fills a gap in Germany’s party-political spectrum. Her credo: yes, the rich should pay more taxes and working people should earn more, but socially everything should remain more or less the same, or return to the way it used to be. Her Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht party (literally, Sahra Wagenknecht Union, BSW) is a mixture of the traditional left and the working-class wing of Christian democracy. Does it have a raison d’être? Yes. You could even argue that the BSW strengthens democracy, if nonvoters or frustrated voters feel represented by it.

However, the current political landscape means that Wagenknecht not only has to try to win over frustrated former social democrats, but also potential voters for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). After all, she wants her BSW to usurp AfD as a protest party — and from there go on to establish itself as a mainstream party of the center.

Her strategy: populism. Sometimes left-wing populism, sometimes right-wing populism. Sometimes ranting against the rich, sometimes joining in on attacks against the unemployed and refugees. She wants to have her cake and eat it, too. This can also be seen in the choice of candidates: sometimes the likes of Fabio De Masi — formerly a member of the European Parliament for the left-wing Die Linke, and critic of EU finance — sometimes the likes of Thomas Geisel, responsible for mass privatizations in former East Germany.