BSW Contemplates Modifying Its Name Slightly
The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) party, a splinter group from the Left Party founded last year, is embarking on a name change process[1]. The party, which failed to clear the five percent hurdle at the federal election in February, will retain the acronym "BSW" in the new name.
The party's leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, announced the name change earlier, aiming to redefine the party's identity and strengthen its political position. The BSW's vote share in the February election was 4.981 percent, just below the required threshold to enter the Bundestag.
BSW members are invited to submit suggestions for the new name via email until the end of August 2025[1]. The new name will be announced and adopted at the December 2025 federal party convention. No specific name suggestions have been publicly highlighted yet; the party leadership is engaging members to collaboratively shape the new identity.
The BSW has been critical of the "Debt Mountain," implying a significant debt burden, and has a youth organization. The party's newsletter states that they will be discussing a new name for the BSW at the upcoming federal party conference in December.
The BSW's failure to enter the Bundestag in the February election has not deterred the party from moving forward. The name change discussion is seen as an opportunity to signal a new direction under Wagenknecht's leadership while retaining the familiarity of the "BSW" abbreviation.
[1] Source: BSW's official website and party newsletter.
Sahra Wagenknecht, the party leader of the BSW, a splinter group from the Left Party, aims to redefine the party's identity and strengthen its political position by embarking on a name change process, following their failure to enter the Bundestag in the February election. The proposed new name will be determined through the collaboration of BSW members, with the announcement and adoption set for the December 2025 federal party convention.
