Ex-leftists form BSW parliamentary group in Zwickau city council

A few days after the founding of the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), a party parliamentary group has been formed in the Zwickau city council. Four members left the Linke parliamentary group and constituted themselves last Thursday, as the chairman of the new BSW parliamentary group, Bernd Rudolph, told the German Press Agency on Sunday. The background to this was dissatisfaction with the party's course.

"The belief that numerous lost elections could bring about a rethink, that we could once again become the party that cares and represent the interests of the majority instead of individual groups, has been lost," he said. Rudolph confirmed corresponding media reports that there has already been a BSW parliamentary group in Werdau town council since December. "We are not the first ... and certainly not the last," said Rudolph.

The BSW formed as a party last Monday. Member of the Bundestag Wagenknecht was elected chairwoman in a dual leadership with the former head of the left-wing parliamentary group, Amira Mohamed Ali. The new party plans to run for the first time in the European elections on June 9, and later also in the East German state elections in September.