Berlin – Sahra Wagenknecht‘s โBSWโ party has electedโ MEP Fabio Deโ Masi and mohamed Ali as its new co-leaders, marking a shiftโ in leadership โขfor the burgeoning politicalโ force. The decision came at a party congress โขwhere Wagenknecht, who recently stepped down as chair, will now head a new basicโฃ valuesโฃ commission. Both โDe Masi and Ali, both โค45, previously served as co-chairs โขalongside Wagenknecht before the party’s founding and have long been active โฃon the left.
Wagenknecht, addressing the congress, asserted the BSW’s resilienceโ against what she describedโค as opposition from “ruling elites,”โ and stated, “They will also have to reckon with me in German politics for โคa long time.” She reiterated core BSW positions, including opposition to conscription and increased arms spending, advocating for negotiations โand energy imports from โฃRussia, and a pension system modeled after โฃAustria’s.
In โaโค pointed critique, Wagenknecht โฃaccused opposition leaders from the left and Greens of enabling CDU Chancellor Friedrichโ Merz’s โ”incompetence and ‘loudness’,” claiming they areโฃ “driving the demolition ofโ the welfare state and the path to a new โmilitarism andโ authoritarianism.” She warned of growing authoritarianism within Germany, allegingโค that โpartiesโข identifying as democratic are increasingly creating “an authoritarian intimidationโ state.”
Mohamed Ali also criticized โคthe Bundestag’s election audit committee’s rejection โofโฃ a recount of February’s federal election,calling it “disgraceful” and reaffirming the party’s intention to challenge the decision โin the Constitutional Court,citing concerns about counting errors.
General Secretary Christian Leye highlighted the BSW’s opposition to the โcurrent coalition’s decisions โขon military service, โฃstating, “You โwon’tโ get our children through the lottery process.” โขThe party’s โfocus onโ peace, criticism of NATO, and advocating for Russian โคenergy imports were central themes in the โbroader discussionโ about the party’s direction.
Thuringian BSW politician and infrastructure minister Steffen Schรผtz emphasized the party’s unique โposition on โฃpeace, while alsoโฃ urging unity, stating, “That is our mission, โnot to wage โwar against our ownโ critics,” inโ a โฃveiled โreference โto internal โdisputes, including the debate โคover โa potential coalition โin Erfurt.
