Germany's far-left star quits post-Communists to found populist party

German politician and member of the Bundestag for The Left party Sahra Wagenknecht attends a press conference to present the "Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, BSW" in Berlin, Germany October 23, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - The star of Germany's left-most parliamentary party has quit to set up her own populist formation, based on scepticism on both green issues and on support for Ukraine, that polls suggest could capture up to 20% of the vote.

Sahra Wagenknecht, who grew up in East Germany as the daughter of a German mother and an absent Iranian father, told reporters on Monday she would aim to win over disgruntled voters of left and right.