So far, the most notable person in BSW is Sahra Wagenknecht. Here are some of the deputies who entered the state parliament for their party.
Dresden is being cleaned up, but for BSW the work has only just begun. Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa
Leipzig Taz | After 11.8% in Saxony and 15.8% in Thuringia voted for the Wagenknecht party, the first BSW state parliamentary group in the Federal Republic is currently being formed. Both groups have 15 representatives each, of which 4 are women in Thuringia and 5 in Saxony. Some have already supported the Greens or the Left in the state parliaments, but for most the plenary hall is completely new territory. So no one knows for now how the parliamentarians will work in the next five years and how they will govern when that happens.
Because if there is a majority coalition in Saxony apart from the AfD, the BSW is included mathematically. Together, the CDU, SPD and BSW would have 66 of the 120 seats. The parties have said they will consult with each other. Things are moving faster in Thuringia. The state leaders of the CDU and BSW met in a café in Erfurt on Thursday for the first “option discussion.” Exchanges with the SPD should follow. But that alone is not enough if the CDU, BSW and SPD want to work together. In Thuringia, the three parties received half the votes, but not a majority.
This text is part of a report on the 2024 elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia. taz shows what is at stake here this year.
And then there is Sahra Wagenknecht. After the election, she said that anyone who wants to govern with the BSW must take a stance on strengthening diplomacy with Russia, reducing arms in Ukraine, and banning US missiles in Germany. This will be a tough task for the CDU and SPD. The same goes for Saxony, where CDU leader Michael Kretschmer is seen as closer to Russia.
After all, doesn’t Wagenknecht want to be in government? Working in the opposition would also offer her something. There is less that can go wrong with her new party, and she will start the federal election campaign next year with a pure conviction. On the other hand, a motivated new parliamentarian could change less than she intended in the federal states.
To give an idea of who is running for the state parliament for the BSW and what their motivations are, wochentaz presents three representatives each from Saxony and Thuringia.
saxony
Party Insider
Sabine Zimmerman Photo: dpa
As Sabine Zimmermann has repeatedly said, BSW is not Left 2.0. She should know. Because apart from Sahra Wagenknecht, few know the inside of both parties as well as she does. Zimmermann has been working on setting up BSW since last fall at the latest. She has personally met the first Saxon members, whom she has personally selected in the preliminary discussions. When Zimmermann and Wagenknecht speak at press conferences, it is difficult to tell them apart in terms of content: against uncontrolled migration, peace, etc. But Zimmermann is not as thrilling as Wagenknecht. They also know each other in the Bundestag. Zimmermann was a member from 2005 to 2021. She initially campaigned for the SPD, but when it rejected the 2010 agenda, she switched to the newly founded Left in 2007, where she was temporarily deputy group leader.
Returnee
Janina Pau Photo: Sebastian Wilnow
The fact that she is entering the state parliament for the BSW is a reward for Janina Pfau. From 2014 to 2019, she participated in the Saxon parliament, but as a member of the Left. After that, she did not make it to the top of the list. Was that the reason for the change? Not according to Pfau. She says that her party does not pay enough attention to rural areas. That is one of the reasons why she switched to the BSW. By rural areas, she means Vogtland, for example. Pfau was the district chairwoman of the Left Party there. She now wants to campaign for this issue in the state parliament. At the BSW founding party conference in Saxony, she was elected as state manager. As such, she planned the election campaign and took charge of the organizational aspects. She also took up the role of the Left in 2019, after leaving the state parliament.
health professional
Ronnie Kupke Photo: Sebastian Kahnert
Ronny Kupke has always been interested in politics. He was particularly impressed by Sahra Wagenknecht. She made clear statements about real issues. In recent years, he was disappointed by how the country had developed. However, Kupke did not take an active part in a political party until 2024. The Chemnitz resident is chairman of the AOK staff council in Saxony and Thuringia. In the BSW, he is now advocating for health care. For example, he is interested in maintaining the 76 hospitals in Saxony or in ensuring that care can be provided in a familiar environment. Prime Minister Kupke is calling on the state parliament to set up an investigation committee to “deal with the mistakes of the Corona era consistently.” During the election campaign, he was reserved. Even at the information desk in his hometown, he did not put himself in the forefront.
Thuringia
Frank Augsten Photo: Michael Reichel
Former Green Party
Among the experienced members of the Thuringian BSW faction are Frank Augsten. In the early 1980s, when he was in East Germany, he devoted himself to animal and environmental protection. In 1991, he became a member of the Green Party and ran for various public offices and posts. In 2007, he became a state spokesman and from 2009 to 2014 he was a member of the Thuringian state parliament. This year he joined the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance. Why? He is dissatisfied with the politics of the state and federal government. Moreover, his position on the ‘Russia-Ukraine conflict’ is in line with that of the BSW. According to him, Augsten represents the AfD alternative in the state parliament and wants to be a voice for climate protection and accelerate the expansion of renewable energies. If Augsten gets his way, he will soon become a minister, he told taz before the election.
happy personality
Stephan Schutz Photo: IMAGO
Steffen Schütz, born in Eisenach, laughs and jokes a lot when he attends parties. He likes to present himself as a cheerful person next to his co-president Katja Wolf. The advertising businessman did not want to entrust Thuringia’s problems to politicians who had no idea about them, so he started business with BSW himself at the beginning of the year. Unlike many politicians, he knows what it feels like to pay employees and taxes. He lists the reduction of bureaucracy as one of his urgent concerns. On other topics, he uses Sahra Wagenknecht’s speeches prominently as arguments. He repeats her criticism of traffic lights or the comparison between the optimistic spirit of the late GDR and the party structure of BSW. If there is any criticism of her or BSW, Schütz seems naively surprised.
Experienced person
Sigrid Hupachi Photo: Imago
In the run-up to the state elections, Sigrid Hupach constantly had her mobile phone to her ear. She led the election campaign in Thuringia and consolidated her experience. Since 2007, she has been a member of the Left Party. In 2013, she entered the Bundestag for a legislative term. However, in further attempts in 2017 and 2021, Hupach failed. In early 2024, she was one of those who moved to the BSW. She explains that the left has moved too far away from social issues. Now, for the BSW in the state parliament, she wants to advocate a different tone towards the AfD. She rules out cooperation with right-wing extremist parties, and Hupach thinks a high result is scary. But continue to ignore the AfD members. That won’t work. “We have to deal with them practically.”
