Party leader Wagenknecht deems her party essential - Party member believes critical role within group is undropable
You know, even though the federal election setback, that Sahra Wagenknecht woman ain't giving up on her party. "BSW is still needed," the party's leader told German Press Agency, pointing to the soaring military spending about to burden every citizen, from kids to gramps, with an extra 1,600 euros each. "BSW is the only peace party in Germany," she said, "and a voice for economic reason." Yep, you bet she ain't backing off.
Her party, BSW, narrowly missed entering the Bundestag in February, with just 0.02% shy of the 5% electoral threshold, scoring 4.98% of the votes nationwide. Now, they're working on a complaint for a recount, suspecting counting errors. In recent polls, they're floating between 3 and 4.5%. Wagenknecht has shared her vision for the party before a leadership retreat with state chairmen and European Parliament members.
BSW's got big plans, you hear? They aim to recruit thousands of members, set up regional structures, and launch a youth organization, working on a detailed party program by 2027. They're confident they'll enter all eastern state parliaments by 2026 and the Bundestag at the latest by 2029.
Recent polls by the Insa Institute hint at BSW peaking at 6% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and 8% in Saxony-Anhalt. Shortly after its inception in 2024, the BSW slipped into parliaments across Europe, as well as in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia. They gotta give 'em credit there – in Brandenburg and Thuringia, they're even part of the government.
But everything ain't smooth sailing. A feud between Wagenknecht and the Thuringian state chairwoman Katja Wolf is brewing. Wagenknecht accused the state association of pissing off voters and losing them to the AfD by allying with CDU and SPD. That's hit the whole party's credibility, she said. Wolf's defended herself, ignoring Wagenknecht's request for her to step down as state chairwoman and focus solely on her finance minister position.
Wagenknecht told dpa, "I reckon people have finally realized which mistakes aren't to be repeated if we don't want to let down voters. But it's just part of the growing pains of a young party that we make some mistakes. We just can't repeat 'em." Wolf's expected to attend the retreat.
Note: Sahra Wagenknecht heads the BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht), a political party that nearly entered Germany's federal parliament (Bundestag) in the 2025 election, but missed the 5% electoral threshold by a small margin. Her party advocates for peace, economic reason, and has gained traction in certain regions like eastern Germany, particularly Thuringia, where it exerts influence in coalition talks. However, Wagenknecht had a dispute with Thuringia's state chairwoman, Katja Wolf, over the party's performance and cooperation with traditional parties like the CDU and SPD.
- Sahra Wagenknecht, the leader of BSW, emphasized the importance of their party in policy discussions, particularly concerning military spending and economic matters, highlighting their role as a voice for peace and reason within Germany's political landscape (policy-and-legislation, politics).
- The BSW party, which narrowly missed entering the Bundestag in the 2025 election, is currently engaged in a dispute between their leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, and Thuringia's state chairwoman, Katja Wolf, over their cooperation strategies with traditional parties and the impact on voter support (general-news).
