Christian Leye, secretary general of the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), plans to step down and run for deputy chairman at the federal party congress in December. He cites a new phase in the party's development, calling for more political discussions. The party faces personnel changes and a potential name change.
Christian Leye, the 44-year-old secretary general of the BSW, announced in an interview with «Welt» that he will relinquish his organizational role. Instead, he plans to run for deputy party chairman at the federal party congress on December 6 and 7 in Magdeburg. «I am running for deputy party chairman because the party needs me there tomorrow», he said.
Leye justifies the move with the party's transition to a new phase. Following founding successes in the European elections and eastern German state elections in 2024, the BSW suffered a setback in February 2025: It narrowly missed entering parliament in the early federal election. Now, the alliance should sharpen its political profile. «This means practically that there will be more political discussions in our young party», Leye explained. He wants to focus more on substantive work, which is hard to reconcile with a secretary general's duties.
Leye co-founded the BSW with Sahra Wagenknecht after leaving Die Linke. The party leadership plans to present a new personnel lineup on the coming Monday. Speculations swirl about Wagenknecht stepping down from the top, but Leye stressed: She will remain «active in a leading position for the party». Her contribution cannot be overestimated. He declined to comment on rumors of a new top duo with Amira Mohamed Ali and Fabio De Masi: «I will not fuel speculations.»
Additionally, the party seeks a name change. The acronym BSW will stay, but the full name would become «Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason». This requires a two-thirds majority at the party congress.