Katja Wolf seems almost exuberant when she steps in front of the microphone in the Erfurt state parliament on Monday morning. She speaks of a “spirit of optimism” in a “really sensational team”. And: “We want to start as a new political force.” One could almost think that the Thuringian finance minister, who gained national fame as Sahra Wagenknecht's opponent, had founded a new party.
And that's exactly how it is: As soon as the first forecasts for the election in Saxony-Anhalt appeared on Sunday evening, the former BSW politicians around Wolf announced that they had spontaneously founded a party called Thüringen.Gerecht. The founding was completed with 14 former BSW members, reports Wolf. She was confirmed as party leader, Infrastructure and Digital Minister Steffen Schütz became deputy leader. Both were also the first state chairmen of the Thuringian BSW.
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Wolf speaks of special responsibility, after all it is about “the first new democratic party to be founded in the East since the fall of communism.” They want to launch a party program as soon as possible, hold a party conference and become a member party. The new party was founded so quickly in order to be able to set up a new parliamentary group in the state parliament in compliance with all legal requirements, said parliamentary group leader Sigrid Hupach.
The opposition AfD faction under Björn Höcke had already applied pressure when 13 of 15 members of the BSW faction in the state parliament left the Wagenknecht party last week. She called on the President of the State Parliament to cut off the money supply to the parliamentary group because the constitutional requirements for a parliamentary group were no longer met.
“Peace” should continue to be a top topic
By founding the party, the “fair Thuringians” are now moving into supposedly safe legal territory. By founding a party, one meets the requirement of homogeneity, said MP Alexander Kästner. It stipulates that only MPs who belong to the same party or who agree on content and program are allowed to form a parliamentary group.
The next step is to take place on Wednesday morning at an extraordinary parliamentary group meeting. First, the old BSW faction will be dissolved and a liquidator will be appointed, said Kästner. The new faction with the name Thüringen.Gerecht will then be founded. As early as Wednesday afternoon, they want to appear as a new parliamentary group in the state parliament and thus guarantee a proper plenary session.
Wolf and her people didn't set much new agenda on Monday. The new party wants to focus on the issue of social justice, said Wolf. It is very much about “East German justice”, for example the question of the life performance of East Germans, the “injustices” in the pension system or social security, said Wolf, and referred to the recent East-West debate, such as that in the F.A.Z. had been conducted.
“Peace”, which so far in the BSW has mainly been the criticism of arms deliveries to the invaded Ukraine, will continue to be one of the top topics. The new party does not count the defense industry as one of the economic sectors that stand for innovation and value creation, said Wolf. Looking at the new party's chances in upcoming elections, she said: "I know we will find a representation gap."
"Wagenknecht wasn't on any list"
Wolf once again clearly differentiated himself from the BSW on Monday. People are happy that they no longer have to endure the uncertainty that now exists in Saxony-Anhalt. Wolf pointed out with some relish that the Thuringian BSW achieved around 16 percent in the state elections two years ago, while in Saxony-Anhalt it was now only five percent.
In response to the objection that voters back then voted for the BSW primarily because of Wagenknecht, Wolf said that the BSW founder was “not on any list” in Thuringia. Back then, Wagenknecht himself campaigned for government responsibility during the election campaign. The BSW founder later criticized the Thuringian regional association's remaining in the “blackberry coalition” - until the federal executive board's recent demand to leave the government in Erfurt immediately.
Nobody in Thuringia would have joined the BSW at the time, as it is now run by Wagenknecht and the federal association, said MP Kästner. His entire district association has “almost completely” left the party and “is now ready to become a member of the new party”. One should not confuse the cries of the “Sahra Disciples” with the majority of the party. Kästner alluded to the two remaining MPs Anke Wirsing and Sven Künzel, who remained in the BSW.
In addition, three MPs founded their own party (“Your vote counts!”) and left the parliamentary group. As MP Stefan Wogawa said, they initially do not want to join the new Thuringia.Gerecht faction, but rather form their own parliamentary group. Ten MPs would therefore be represented in the Thuringia.Gerecht parliamentary group. The previous coalition of CDU, SPD and BSW had 44 of 88 seats in parliament, with the new faction around Wolf there would only be 39 seats. The left, which has already been needed for a majority, will soon be even more important.
