Wagenknecht Cites “Most tough Phase” for Newly Formed BSW Party
Magdeburg, Germany – Sahra Wagenknecht, co-chair of the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht – For Reason and Justice (BSW) party, stated the party is currently navigating its “most difficult phase” since its founding earlier in 2024. Speaking at a party conference in Magdeburg, Wagenknecht described Germany as living under an “authoritarian intimidation state.”
The BSW, launched at the beginning of 2024, narrowly missed clearing the five percent hurdle in February’s federal election, prompting the party to allege counting errors and pursue a challenge wiht the constitutional Court.Co-chair Mohamed Ali criticized the Bundestag‘s election audit committee’s rejection of a recount as “disgraceful.”
Internal debates are also surfacing within the BSW, especially regarding coalition-building. Former Brandenburg finance minister Robert Crumbach, in 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 running for a leadership position.
Wagenknecht also leveled criticism at the European Union, quoting the US political maxim, “Fuck the EU,” and expressing a degree of sympathy for the sentiment when referencing European Commission President Ursula von der leyen and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas.
The party’s General Secretary, Christian Leye, emphasized core BSW issues including opposition to mandatory military service (“You won’t get our children by drawing lots”) and advocating for peace, criticism of NATO, and a rejection of Russian energy import bans. Thuringian BSW politician Steffen Schütz connected the peace issue to an internal dispute over a potential coalition in Erfurt, stressing the importance of the BSW maintaining its identity as a consistent peace party and avoiding “war against our own critics.”
