Ahead of the constituent meeting of the Landtag in Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringen Finance Minister Katja Wolf sharply criticized the trajectory of her former party, the BSW. Wolf told the news outlet ntv that the BSW risks enabling the AfD to gain influence within a state parliament, stating that giving the AfD the position of parliamentary president would be wrong because “it is a very powerful position.”
Wolf and most other members of the Thuringian BSW faction had left the party, founded by Sahra Wagenknecht, shortly before the election in Saxony-Anhalt to establish “Thüringen Gerecht.”
She further warned about the BSW’s path, referencing the announced candidacy of AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund for the ministerial presidency in December. The Thuringian finance minister claimed that the planned abstention should Siegmund run in a third round is “nothing other than a de facto approval,” making it impossible for Wagenknecht to later claim that the BSW is not involved in allowing an AfD president.
Wolf viewed the split and the creation of her new party as a “moment of liberation,” especially regarding Saxony-Anhalt. She explained that the need for this clarification had been apparent for months, noting that “two completely different political models have crashed into each other.” While she stated that she had never regretted the move from the Left Party to the BSW, she added that the development of the party into “an authoritarian project” was something she could never have imagined.
Regarding “Thüringen Gerecht,” Wolf stated her goal is to offer a political option to people who “do not feel seen” and who feel they are constantly falling through the cracks. She acknowledged that the AfD has been “quite successful” in winning over the working class, but she is committed to creating a political alternative that avoids “such vileness.” She also suggested that the project could expand beyond Thuringia, mentioning that names like “Sachsen Gerecht,” “Berlin gerecht,” and “Saarland Gerecht” sound promising to former members of other BSW local chapters. With “Thüringen Gerecht,” she concluded, they aim to “show a path we could walk together.”
