Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht–Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit Party (BSW), announced in Berlin that she will step down as federal chair of her party. The 56-year-old politician stated that while she is relinquishing the post, she intends to continue playing a central role within the party.
Wagenknecht said she plans to focus on substantive work and will establish and lead a new commission on fundamental values within the party.
Her successor will reportedly be MEP Fabio De Masi, who is expected to lead the BSW together with current co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali. The change marks a significant moment for the left-nationalist BSW, which is undergoing a broader transformation.
The leadership plans to drop Wagenknecht’s name from the party’s title while keeping its well-known acronym. The proposed new name—Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason—has, however, sparked internal debate.
The Rhineland-Palatinate branch has submitted an alternative proposal: Citizens Create Change–Reason and Justice–Abbreviation BSW!, arguing that it reflects a stronger spirit of renewal. The final decision will be made at the party’s federal conference in Magdeburg in early December.
Polls currently place the party between 3-4%, following a performance in February’s federal elections, where it fell just short of the 5% threshold with 4.981%.
