Sahra Wagenknecht, founder of BSW, has stated that the party’s decision to enter the Thuringian state government was a mistake. She told POLITICO that “it was a mistake to go directly into government, because a party that is entering a state parliament for the first time typically does not have the experience or the capability to truly carry a government with backbone.”
Wagenknecht suggested an alternate route would have been preferable. “At the time, there was an opportunity for the CDU to first form a minority government, governed by shifting majorities. We could have contributed constructively in that way.”
She admitted that the experiences in Thuringia have cost the party trust nationwide. Looking back at past electoral successes in the East, she noted, “We did indeed reach a very, very large number of people in 2024, both in the European and state elections. But then we sadly lost many of those people because they were disappointed by our participation in government, and above all, they were disappointed by what they experienced in Thuringia.” She added self-critically, “And we made mistakes there too.”
According to Wagenknecht, the current course in Thuringia is undergoing a painful correction phase. She observed that while similar corrections have taken place in Brandenburg, Thuringia is adjusting in a “rather unpleasant way,” noting that some who supported the previous path are now leaving the party. However, she presented this departure positively, saying it is “at least a sign of clarification processes, and young parties have such clarifications.”
For Saxony-Anhalt, Wagenknecht is now proposing a model that she explicitly recommends for Thuringia as well: a non-partisan Prime Minister leading a cabinet composed of experts who seek fluctuating majority support within the parliament. She clarified that she is advocating for a model rather than demanding specific ministerial appointments, stating that this framework could also apply to Thuringia.
Regarding the current Thuringian Minister-President, Mario Voigt (CDU), Wagenknecht commented that he is “severely weakened.” She asserted that the majority of people in Thuringia do not want him to continue in that role. She proposed that a respected, non-partisan figure-one who even garners support from AfD voters-should take charge, someone who champions many issues desired by both BSW and AfD voters. Such a model, she argued, could “overcome this polarization” and help “reunify the state.”
Wagenknecht dismissed the persistent accusation that the BSW is acting as a “stepping stone for the AfD” as “complete nonsense.” She retorted that the mainstream media level of political discourse suggests this because the BSW will not vote for Schulze, while the AfD uses the Thuringian situation to claim the BSW is a stepping stone for the established parties-which she insisted is also absolute nonsense.
While she reaffirmed her fundamental objection to forming a coalition with the established parties, which she deems a “firewall coalition” that would discard the values for which they were elected, she made it clear that she does not oppose the formation of a government in Thuringia. “Of course, I want a government to be formed.”
