Piet Leidreiter is in a good mood. In Bremen, the sun is shining today and the polls put his "citizens in anger" (BiW) between seven and nine percent. Leidreiter, 58, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and sneakers, is the BiW's top candidate in Bremen. He steers his car through the city and points out of the window: "Our first posters are already coming, just to be on the safe side, at the top, Bremen is very far to the left," he says. "Motorists defend yourselves" and "Consistently expel stabbers," Leidreiter reads out the slogans. He sounds satisfied.

Leonie Feuerbach

Editor in politics.

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The "citizens in anger" see themselves on the upswing. In Bremerhaven, an independent constituency, from where they made the leap into the parliament in 2007, in which they have been represented without a break ever since. In the constituency of Bremen, where they could cross the five percent hurdle for the first time in the state elections on May 14. And in the covenant. They are not yet eligible, but that is to change with the merger with the new micro-party "Alliance Germany" (BD) immediately after the election. BD supports BiW's election campaign, with people who come by to distribute flyers, and with money for election advertising. This is one of the reasons why the BiW are in such a good position right now.

In the 2019 state elections, they won 2.4 percent, now they could leave the FDP and possibly also the Left Party, which is part of the government, behind. Probably the most important reason why this is so, Leidreiter does not address by himself: the self-laceration of the AfD. The party is so divided that it is not allowed to stand for election. In 2019, it received 6.1 percent of the vote. This time, the BiW can hope for that.

Leidreiter now parks in a new development district on the Weser. Around him, tall glass houses full of offices and condominiums. Not exactly BiW's home country, he admits. But a pretty corner of Bremen and therefore suitable for an appointment with the F.A.Z. He puts flyers in the mailboxes and has himself photographed by a party colleague.

"Our campaign themes are geared towards: Where are people angry?" says Leidreiter. And the traffic makes them angry. "Because drivers in the 30 km/h zones are overtaken by trams on the right and e-bikes on the left. Bremen is doing this for ideological reasons. Everything is being done to hurt motorists."

Hopes for government participation

People are also angry about crime. Bremen is the fifth most dangerous city in Germany. The police have 20,000 unprocessed files. "If stacked up, they would be higher than Bremen Cathedral, that's what I calculated," he says, looking proud.

Leidreiter describes himself as conservative and economically liberal, but he also has no problem with the term populist. He was once federal treasurer of the AfD, then resigned because of the right-wing extremist "wing" with party founder Bernd Lucke and joined his new party. When it slipped into the per mille range in polls and elections, he switched to the BiW group in the parliament. Leidreiter says he has never changed his attitude. He had only lost the parties.

This is now set to change once and for all with "Alliance Germany". Leidreiter hopes to participate in government, first in Bremen, then also in the federal government. The new party wants to close the gap "between the left-wing CDU and the AfD." The party, which was founded last fall, has many "decent people," he says: former members of the CDU/CSU, the FDP, the Free Voters and the AfD. He has a good feeling about it.