Zimmermann expects a spirit of optimism at BSW

The Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance in Saxony is expecting a spirit of optimism from this weekend's national party conference in Magdeburg. The party will turn the corner again, said the Saxon parliamentary group leader Sabine Zimmermann optimistically. The East must be well represented within the federal party because it has the largest electorate in the country. "The East must confidently bring itself forward."

Zimmermann calls for unity within her own ranks

At the same time, Zimmermann, who is stepping down as parliamentary group leader at the beginning of next year for health reasons, called for unity within her own ranks. "Petty warfare is of no use to us." The party is going through a process that is not easy. The interests of the members are different. "You have to put personal interests aside so that the party can move forward again." Zimmermann (64) can imagine working on the BSW's future basic values commission.

BSW accepts around 70 new members every month

According to party leader Ronny Kupke, the Saxon BSW regional association intends to put forward two candidates for the leadership. Treasurer Silke Heßberg is running for federal treasurer, while Saxon co-chair Jörg Scheibe is running for the extended federal board.

According to Kupke, the BSW currently has 500 members in Saxony, with around 70 women and men joining every month. With the exception of Vogtland, there are already district associations in every county.

The BSW won three successful state elections in East Germany in 2024 and also did well in the European elections. It became the governing party in Thuringia and Brandenburg. This was followed by a setback in February of this year: the party narrowly missed out on a place in parliament in the early federal elections. In future, the BSW will no longer refer to party founder Sahra Wagenknecht by name. The abbreviation BSW will remain, but will stand for "Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason". The party conference must approve this with a two-thirds majority.