The Guardian view on Germany’s disaffected east: a growing crisis for Olaf Scholz | Editorial

Separately, a self-styled “left-conservative” party, led by a former East German communist, has emerged as a significant new disruptive force, eclipsing the more straightforwardly socialist Left party. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is polling third in each state, after campaigning – like the AfD – for an end to arms support for Ukraine, abandoning net zero targets and slashing levels of immigration.