Former BSW Members Establish New Party 'Thüringen.Gerecht' in Thuringia

Former members of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) in Thuringia have founded a new political party called Thüringen.Gerecht. The new party was established on Sunday in Erfurt, just two days after the members left the BSW. Katja Wolf, the former BSW state leader and current Finance Minister, was elected as the party chairperson. Steffen Schütz, the state's Infrastructure and Digital Minister, and Steffi Eschrich, the former BSW state manager, also hold leadership roles in the new organization.

The split follows an escalation of a fundamental dispute between the BSW national leadership, led by Sahra Wagenknecht, and the Thuringian branch regarding the party's participation in the state government. As a result, nearly all BSW members of the state parliament left the party, leaving only two of the original fifteen members of the parliamentary group still affiliated with the BSW. The new party intends to maintain the existing coalition government under Minister President Mario Voigt (CDU), which also includes the SPD.

Thüringen.Gerecht has released a founding program focusing on themes such as fairly paid work, the recognition of East German life achievements, industrial innovation, and affordable energy. Katja Wolf stated that the rapid formation of the party was necessary to ensure stability and to address the legal status of their parliamentary group. The AfD has already called for the BSW parliamentary group's funding to be cut based on the state constitution.

Reporting on the cause of the split differs slightly by political lean. A center-right source notes that the group around Wolf accused the national BSW leadership of interference and a lack of distance from the AfD. A center-left source focuses on the internal power struggle and the resulting pressure on the three-party coalition, which currently lacks an absolute majority in the state parliament.