Zerfall Thüringer BSW: Neustart im Eiltempo: Thüringer Ex-BSWler gründen Partei

Two days after leaving the Thuringian BSW, ex-members have founded a new party called Thüringen.Gerecht. Katja Wolf, the former BSW Landeshauptmannin, Finance Minister and Vice Minister-President, was elected as the party chairwoman, according to founding members in Erfurt. The founding came as a surprise to some of the former leadership members.

The aim was to quickly create legal clarity, said one of the founders. "We want to be sure," they added. The motivation behind the ex-BSW members, including Wolf, supporting the current government of CDU Minister-President Mario Voigt remains clear. After the BSW's dissolution at the end of 2024, Thuringia's governing coalition of CDU, BSW, and SPD faces crisis.

Specifically, due to the legal uncertainty of the former BSW faction, one of the three coalition partners. Only two out of twelve faction members are still associated with the BSW as of Friday. "We don't want to jeopardize our ability to work," Infrastructure Minister Steffen Schütz told DPA. Schütz, who once co-chaired the BSW in Thuringia, is now appointed as Wolf's deputy in the new party.

Wolf announced, "We promised to bring stability and reliability to Thuringia. Now we invite everyone to turn this promise into reality." Governor Mario Voigt stated that the formation of Thüringen.Gerecht clears up the situation and establishes order. The clarification over the faction might be completed by Monday. The newly formed party is still discussing the exact date, aiming for a deadline of October at least.

The legal assessments for the new party have apparently forced a rush, resulting in Sunday's founding in Erfurt. On Monday, the faction still calling itself BSW will gather in the Landtag. There will be a statement on the further steps afterward. The opposition, the AfD faction, demanded on Saturday the dissolution of the BSW's faction status and the cessation of faction financing, referring to the state constitution.

Additionally, a three-day Landtag session, possibly leading to several splinter groups, is scheduled to begin Wednesday. The BSW faction, which had 15 members before the split due to a conflict with the federal leadership and founder Sahra Wagenknecht, had nine other Landtag members switch to the opposition party. The BSW faction had 15 members before the split, stemming from a conflict with the federal leadership and founder Sahra Wagenknecht.