Wagenknecht's party is at a crossroads: will to govern or radical opposition?
To put it mildly, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance is in a phase of self-discovery. The party is reorienting itself. This may seem odd at first glance, given that the BSW is still very young, having been founded less than a year and a half ago. But after its narrow defeat in the federal election , in which it fell just 9,500 votes short of entering parliament, it must seek its way in the extra-parliamentary opposition.
Such a phase causes conflict within a party. To put it less cautiously: Already, just months after the election, power struggles and disputes over direction are causing unrest in the BSW. The party is wrestling with itself. It is divided on how to position itself in order to remain distinctive and, above all, visible. Added to this are prominent resignations – as is now the case in Schleswig-Holstein .
The Berliner Zeitung learned from party sources that the former co-state chairman, Milad Salami, has resigned from his position. Salami confirmed this upon request. A dual leadership position brings together a variety of people, he stated in his statement. "This is feasible, but in our case it was a challenge characterized by communication breakdowns, making trusting and collegial cooperation virtually impossible." He now had to make a decision for himself, the state executive committee, and in the interests of the members.
"I have always enjoyed the office of state chairman and have given it my all," Salami writes. However, under the current circumstances, he sees "no longer any basis for constructive cooperation within the state executive board."
The Schleswig-Holstein BSW Association was founded just last December. Since then, it has been led by Milad Salami, a teacher at a private school in Elmshorn, and Martina Möller, a counselor at a job center. Salami ran as the top candidate for the Schleswig-Holstein BSW in the federal election.
The party says the mood in the state association has been tense for months. One reason cited is the election of Möller and Salami as co-leaders. The association was supposed to be founded in October and an executive board elected. However, the federal leadership, the executive committee led by party leader Sahra Wagenknecht, was dissatisfied with the candidates. The founding party conference was postponed until December, and the executive committee subsequently campaigned for Möller and Salami.
This, in turn, caused anger among members in Schleswig-Holstein, according to party sources. Many were barely familiar with both. When contacted by this newspaper, Salami declined to comment.
In Hamburg , too, dissatisfaction with the federal leadership was recently expressed once again. Former state chairman Jochen Brack left the BSW. In his letter of resignation, which was obtained by this newspaper, Brack stated: "I am no longer a useful idiot and will no longer offer my name and reputation for the BSW Hamburg." He justified his departure primarily with a lack of internal party democracy. The state association is "controlled and directed in collaboration with parts of the BSW leadership." Jochen Brack writes of "string-pulling" and "nepotism."
Members from several states complain that the BSW federal leadership has intervened in the election of state executive boards and the compilation of party lists. There is often talk of pressure on local party colleagues. They are urged to stick together and vote for the nominated candidates – disunity does not look good in public and risks negative reporting. The BSW press office did not respond to a request from this newspaper.
However, the friction between the federal and state levels goes beyond personnel issues. They also affect the party's future course.
The most well-known conflict escalated a few weeks ago in Thuringia. At a party conference, co-state chairwoman Katja Wolf had to prevail over a candidate publicly supported by the executive committee. Those close to Sahra Wagenknecht primarily blame the state leadership around Wolf for the party's performance in the federal election. The BSW in Erfurt , they allege, diluted the party's profile by showing too much willingness to compromise in forming a government with the CDU and SPD . Meanwhile, several Thuringian BSW politicians are complaining about lectures from Berlin.
Meanwhile, some party officials are speaking of a culture of mistrust toward those East German associations represented in parliaments, namely Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia – with the Erfurt-based party being hit hardest. While the federal party faces several years in extra-parliamentary opposition, these eastern associations could develop into new centers of power. Are they becoming independent? Are they using the resources allocated to their state parliamentary groups in ways that are not in line with the Berlin party line?
Membership recruitment also remains a sensitive issue. The original announcement was that the party, which had been very slow in gaining supporters until the federal election, wanted to open up. However, it is said that the federal leadership is continuing to monitor the situation very closely. Recruitment is progressing slowly in many places.
It is striking that internal criticism is usually not directed against Sahra Wagenknecht, but against the leadership team surrounding the party founder. Wagenknecht, it is said, is often not directly involved in the proceedings.
A senior BSW member said the tensions between the federal executive committee and the eastern associations reminded him of the early days of the Left Party. A rift had opened up there: between a dogmatic, sometimes "sectarian" party in the West and a more pragmatic one in the East. Between radical opposition and the will to govern. From this perspective, the BSW executive committee is very West German, he said. By next year at the latest, when elections are held in two eastern German states and in Berlin, the party must answer this question for itself.
Berliner-zeitung
