Fight for the Thuringian BSW leadership: Wolf remains despite resistance!

Fight for the Thuringian BSW leadership: Wolf remains despite resistance!

Katja Wolf remains the BSW head of state in Thuringia. In a competitive election, she prevailed against Anke Wirsing, which was supported by Sahra Wagenknecht. This was decided on a party congress in Gera on April 26, 2025, where Wolf won 61 to 35 votes. The power struggle for the leadership of the Thuringian BSW seems to be decided, but the conflict remains between Wolf and Wagenknecht.

The party conference was intensive and shaped by tensions. Wagenknecht, who had expressed demands for a "reorganization of the state board", supported Wirsing as a challenge. In a letter to the members, she criticized Wolf's pragmatic course, which is considered a watering down of the BSW profile. This argument has been reinforced since the coalition negotiations with the CDU and SPD.

conflicts and supporters

The tensions between Wolf and Wagenknecht are not a new phenomenon. They were directly related to the government participation of the BSW in the coalition and the subsequent political differences. In particular, differences regarding a precise positioning for the question of peace between Erfurt and Berlin were loud. After the Bundestag election, for whose negative results is attributed to the BSW in Thuringia, the relationship between the federal and state leadership has further tightened.

The critics of Wolf, including some Thuringian party members, require a clear separation between the government and party office. This is currently not prescribed at the BSW. Wolf, on the other hand, argues that her administrative management ensures continuity in politics and representing BSW positions in the government.

The party conference and its results

The party congress, which started in Gera at 10:00 a.m., followed a number of controversial discussions. Anke Wirsing appeared as less popular in public. Despite the support from Wagenknecht, she did not have enough votes to take the lead. While Wolf emphasized that she was not concerned with personal posts, the possibility of membership was also coordinated by state associations.

• Wolf received 61 votes.
• Wirsing received 35 votes.

Gernot Süßmuth, who competes for the election of the board, wants to form a double tip with wolf. In addition, Thuringia's co-chairman Steffen Schütz announced that it would do without a candidacy in order to protect the stability of the BSW and to promote the discussions about the challenges within the association. Schütz also expressed his concerns about the influence of the federal board and the admission of members without the consent of the state association.

The still existing tensions and the different perspectives within the BSW draw a picture that is characterized by both challenges and potential. It remains to be seen how the scope for action in the cooperation with the coalition partners CDU and SPD will be further designed. In any case, the decision about the BSW leadership is of central importance for the future of the party in Thuringia and for the political landscape as a whole.