Wagenknecht Cites “Most tough Phase” for Newly Formed BSW Party
Magdeburg, Germany – Sahra Wagenknecht, co-chairโข of theโ Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht – For Reason โฃand Justice (BSW) party, stated the party โis currently navigating its “most difficult phase” since its โfounding earlier in 2024. Speaking at a party โconference โฃin Magdeburg, Wagenknecht described Germany as livingโ under an “authoritarianโค intimidation state.”
The BSW, launched atโ the beginning of 2024, narrowly missed clearing the five percent hurdle inโค February’s federal election, โprompting the party to allege counting errors and pursue a challenge wiht the constitutional Court.Co-chair Mohamed Ali criticized the Bundestag‘s election auditโ committee’s โคrejection of a recount as “disgraceful.”
Internal debates are also surfacing within the BSW, especially regarding coalition-building. Former Brandenburg finance minister Robert Crumbach, โฃin comments to “Welt,” highlighted a fundamental disagreement: “Do you want to shape things or do you want to criticize?” He later announced he would not be runningโข for a leadership position.
Wagenknecht โคalso leveled criticism at โtheโค European Union, quoting the US political maxim, “Fuck the EU,” and expressing a degree ofโข sympathy for the sentiment when referencing European Commission โขPresident Ursula vonโค der leyen and European Commissionโค Vice-President Kaja โKallas.
The party’sโ General Secretary, Christian โขLeye,โค emphasized core BSW issues including opposition to mandatory military service (“You won’t โคget our childrenโข by drawing lots”) and advocating for peace, criticism โof NATO, and a rejection of Russian energy import โคbans. Thuringian BSW politician Steffen Schรผtz connected the peaceโ issue to an internal dispute over a potential coalition in Erfurt,โ stressing theโฃ importance of the BSW โmaintaining its identity as aโ consistent peace party andโข avoiding “war against our โown critics.”
