Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice is a political party in Germany. It started on 8 January 2024.

The party is seen as a left-wing to far-left group. It has populist and nationalist ideas. The party questions green politics. It criticizes support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and for Israel in its actions in Gaza. It also has Eurosceptic and anti-American views on international matters.

The party began after some members left the The Left party. Sahra Wagenknecht, Amira Mohamed Ali, Christian Leye, and others announced their plan to create a new party in September 2023. More people joined, including former leaders like Klaus Ernst and Fabio De Masi. The party was officially started in January 2024, with Wagenknecht and Mohamed Ali as leaders. They also formed a group in the German parliament, the Bundestag.

In its first elections in May 2024, the party gained attention. By June 2024, it won about 6% of votes in the European Parliament elections. In September 2024, it did well in elections in three eastern states: Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. The party became part of the government in Thuringia and Brandenburg. However, in the 2025 German federal election, the party did not get enough votes to secure seats in the Bundestag. Later state elections also brought lower results. For elections in September 2026, polls suggest the party might win between 3% and 5% of votes.

In November 2025, Wagenknecht said she would step down as leader. She chose Fabio De Masi, a member of the European Parliament, to take her place.

History

Sahra Wagenknecht was a well-known left-wing politician. She was part of several political groups before founding the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW) on 8 January 2024. She disagreed with others in her old party about issues like refugee policies and the war in Ukraine.

The BSW started after Wagenknecht decided to leave her old party. Many members of her old party were unhappy about this.

The BSW officially began in January 2024. Since then, it has grown and won seats in several state parliaments. The party focuses on issues like limiting migration and changing how the European Union works. It has had some successes in elections, especially in eastern Germany, but also faced challenges.

Despite these challenges, the BSW continues to work and hopes to gain more influence in future elections.

Intra-party structure

See also: List of Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht politicians

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance has a different way of organizing itself than other parties in Germany. It has a few members and also lets people join as "registered supporters." To become a full member, a person needs approval from an existing member and the party’s leaders. At first, only 450 people could be full members. These were mostly people close to Sahra Wagenknecht or important workers for the party. By March 2024, there were 17,000 registered supporters, 8,000 people wanting to join, and 500 full members. The party wants to keep the number of full members small. They aim for no more than 1,000 by the end of 2024 and about 2,000 by the 2025 German federal election. Sahra Wagenknecht said they want to make sure only people who share their ideas and can work well together can join.

Journalists were not allowed at the early meetings to set up the party in Lower Saxony and Bremen.

The first group of party leaders chosen in February 2024 is listed below:

State branches

Ideology and platform

The BSW has been called many things, such as populist, socialist, anti-capitalist, and conservative in culture. It is seen as left-wing but also has some right-wing views on issues like immigration.

The BSW comes from a part of the German Left party that wanted more change. It mixes left-wing economic ideas with more traditional views on social matters.

The BSW focuses on economic fairness. It wants to help workers and reduce inequality. The party is against big companies and wants more control over the economy. It also talks about better roads and internet service.

On cultural issues, BSW has conservative views. It is against too much immigration and against changes to the German language to include more gender options. The party thinks too much immigration can hurt the German welfare system.

The BSW is also against too much involvement in international affairs and supports better relations with Russia. It is critical of policies that it thinks hurt ordinary people.

Election results

Federal Parliament (Bundestag)

European Parliament

State parliaments (Landtage)

Results timeline

Reactions

The Left (Die Linke)

Many members of The Left were happy when Sahra Wagenknecht left the party. Some politicians from The Left were unhappy with her followers and asked them to return their seats in the Bundestag. The youth wing of The Left welcomed her leaving and hoped the party could now renew itself.

Social Democratic Party (SPD)

The Social Democratic Party said that Wagenknecht had not done much for people during her time in politics. They were not too worried about her new party because she did not often attend Bundestag meetings.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany talked about how to respond to the new party. Some leaders said the party’s views were different from theirs. Others thought the new party might take votes away from another group called the AfD.

Alternative for Germany (AfD)

The AfD worried that the new party might take away some of their voters in eastern Germany.

Media

German newspapers had different opinions. Some thought the new party might compete with the AfD for voters, especially on topics like the COVID-19 pandemic and the situation in Ukraine. Others in Britain and Italy commented on how the party might change the political landscape in Germany.