Sahra Wagenknecht: heroine of German left could become ally of far right

Die Linke politician is receiving overtures from rightwing AfD and is rumoured to be planning a breakaway party

She has been compared to iconic political figureheads such as Frida Kahlo and Rosa Luxemburg, as much for her strident leftwing views as for her striking looks.

Sahra Wagenknecht is a household name in Germany and the best-known figure on the far left. The most prominent and outspoken member of the 15-year-old Die Linke party, she has been rattling the Berlin political scene for years with her vague pronouncements that she is planning to form her own breakaway bloc.