Germany Sahra Wagenknecht withdraws from the chairmanship of her party
German politician Sahra Wagenknecht wants to step down as chair of the party she founded and named after herself. The 56-year-old made the announcement in Berlin.
10.11.2025, 15:07
SDA
Nevertheless, she says she will continue to work in a leading position for the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). She wants to set up and head a basic values commission within the party, Wagenknecht said. In the event that the BSW does enter the German parliament, the Bundestag, she wants to become the leader of the parliamentary group.
In future, the party leadership will be formed by the current co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali and MEP Fabio De Masi. Wagenknecht said that she wanted to have her head free again for what could really help the BSW.
Formative figure
Wagenknecht is not only the founder, but also the defining figure and by far the best-known face of the BSW. However, it has already been announced that the party will also part with the name of its founder. Although the abbreviation BSW is to remain, it will no longer stand for Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht.
The party leadership's official proposal for the long form is "Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason". The decision will be made at the party conference in Magdeburg on December 6 and 7.
Difficult phase for the BSW
Overall, the BSW is currently going through a difficult phase. After the party missed out on entering the Bundestag in the February elections, it is only polling at 3 to 4 percent across Germany. In the federal state of Brandenburg, where it is part of the government, the BSW is at odds over two state media agreements, which has triggered a coalition crisis there.
The party is also a member of the ruling coalition in Thuringia, which, like Brandenburg, used to be part of the GDR - although Wagenknecht is struggling with government participation there. In principle, the BSW is debating whether and how it should co-govern at federal state level.
Without the Bundestag, the stage is missing
Wagenknecht left the Left Party in October 2023 after a long dispute and founded the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance at the beginning of 2024. In the European elections and parliamentary elections in eastern German states in 2024, the BSW achieved great success from a standing start. However, it failed to clear the five percent hurdle in the Bundestag elections - albeit by a very narrow margin. It is fighting for a recount of the votes, but its chances are uncertain.
For next year's elections, the party has set itself the goal of winning seats in all state parliaments, at least in eastern Germany. The top issue for the BSW continues to be opposition to increased arms spending and aid for Ukraine, which is under attack from Russia. The party also stands for higher pensions, higher taxation of assets and a strict migration policy.
