New State Association - BSW will administer in Berlin starting from 2026
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is now making waves in Berlin politics. At the founding assembly of the BSW Berlin State Branch in Adlershof, Alexander King, a former Left Party parliamentarian, was elected with 75.8% and Josephine Thyrêt, a nurse, with 86.4%. They ran as a co-chair duo, with no other candidates.
"Today is a historic day," said King. The new, currently 81-member strong state branch was launched with much momentum, he added, pointing to the result of the European election at 8.7%, and a new INSA survey commissioned by "Bild", which puts the BSW in Berlin at 12%. This is a great responsibility, he continued, as it reflects the hopes of many people who do not want the BSW to disappoint them.
"Peace theme" is top priority
"We as BSW want to establish ourselves in the heart of society," said King. He and co-chair Thyrêt named "the peace theme" as the most important issue, due to which the BSW enjoys such popularity among voters. Many Berliners and Berliners are longing for peace in the Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, and in the Near East, as well as more peace initiatives. It is crucial to prevent these conflicts from escalating further and for a major war to come to Germany as well.
As further issues of the new party, which in Berlin currently has a charter but no program, the two chairs named affordable housing, the implementation of the 2021 referendum for the expropriation of large housing corporations, better framework conditions and bureaucracy reduction for the small and medium-sized enterprises, or the preservation of hospitals.
"We expect the federal government to allow for regulated immigration." This should be limited so that good integration is possible, King explained. The accommodation of refugees in Berlin should not always be in the same neighborhoods, particularly in some eastern city districts. A more even distribution, taking social situations and local infrastructure into account, is necessary.
BSW wants to govern
"We want to govern," said King, looking towards the Berlin House of Representatives election in 2026. "Without BSW, it will be difficult to form a government. That is also our goal." But this is not an end in itself: "We want to change something." A cooperation with the AfD is out of the question for King. It would be very difficult due to their programmatic differences, particularly in traffic policy, with the Greens. The larger parties could potentially be considered as potential coalition partners, he added, "but that's still two years away."
BSW was founded by Bundestag MP and former Left Party politician Sahra Wagenknecht in January. BSW state branches are forming in various regions. The Berlin state branch, according to a party spokesperson, is the fifth in this series. Sixty-six voting members attended the founding assembly.
King has been a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since December 2021, with a brief interruption. He left the Left Party fraction in the parliament in November 2023 to join the BSW. Thyrêt, a 49-year-old nurse, has been the Betriebsratsvorsitzende at the state-owned clinic group Vivantes since almost four years and has been its deputy Aufsichtsratsvorsitzende for over a year.
The founding assembly of the Berlin BSW state branch was open to the media except for the beginning. After the election of the two chairs, they answered questions from journalists at a press conference.
- Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the BSW Alliance, has seen state branches forming in various regions, with Berlin being the fifth such establishment.
- During the European election, the BSW in Berlin managed to secure a significant 8.7%, and a new survey shows that their support in the city has increased to 12%.
- The co-chair duo of the BSW Berlin State Branch, Josephine Thyrêt and Alexander King, have highlighted the 'peace theme' as their top priority, aiming to prevent conflicts and major wars from reaching Germany.
- King, the co-chair of the BSW Berlin State Branch, has expressed his desire to govern in the 2026 Berlin House of Representatives election, aiming to bring about change and make it difficult to form a government without their party's involvement.
- The BSW state branch in Berlin, established in Adlershof, has strong ties with Russia, with King advocating for regulated immigration to ensure good integration and a more even distribution of refugees across the city.
