Despite the internal crises rocking the BSW party in Thuringia, Interior Minister Georg Maier of the SPD maintains his conviction that the coalition-comprised of the CDU, BSW, and SPD, and led by Minister President Mario Voigt (CDU)-can continue functioning. Speaking to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”, Maier stated, “I believe the coalition can move forward.”
He noted that substantively, little has changed. The government remains a minority administration, reliant on Democrats continually coming together. Maier added that conditions might even improve, stating, “It will probably be a little easier because there is now clarity that external influence, which has become a significant strain especially for the BSW, will be resolved during the special parliamentary session this weekend.”
The SPD politician then criticized the rise of populism in the state, citing two opposing forces. He pointed to Sahra Wagenknecht, stating that she “cannot tolerate [that] we cooperate well and prosper in the interest of the state while the BSW fulfills its political responsibilities.” He also criticized the Höcke-AfD, accusing them of taking every opportunity to misuse parliament with constructive motions of no confidence and attempts at dissolution, which he deemed unlikely to succeed from the outset. The Thuringian Interior Minister concluded his critique by describing the parliament as having devolved into “a stage for self-portrayals by attention-seeking pseudo-politicians.”
This tension is underscored by the fact that BSW regional representatives Stefan Wogawa, Dirk Hoffmeister, and Roberto Kobelt had previously announced their intention to leave the party and the parliamentary group. They did so in protest against the constant interference from the national party leadership regarding founding member Sahra Wagenknecht.
