German opposition figure launches a new party that may have potential against the far-right

BERLIN (AP) — A high-profile German opposition politician has formally founded a new party that combines left-wing economic policy with a restrictive approach to migration and other positions that some observers believe could help it take votes away from the far-right Alternative for Germany. Sahra Wagenknecht said Monday her “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance — Reason and Fairness” will make its electoral debut in the European Parliament election in June. She said she is confident that it also will run in three state elections in September in eastern regions where Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is very strong. Wagenknecht broke in October with the Left Party, an opposition party in which she was long one of the leading figures.