Four weeks after their exit from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, Brandenburg state lawmakers Reinhard Simon and Melanie Matzies have rejoined the party. Matzies justified her return by stating that the BSW is the only consistent peace party. The move temporarily stabilizes the red-purple coalition in Brandenburg.
On November 11, 2024, Brandenburg state lawmakers Reinhard Simon, Melanie Matzies, Jouleen Gruhn, and André von Ossowski left the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). They criticized authoritarian tendencies and the dominance of radicalized positions within the party. This move plunged the SPD-BSW coalition under Minister President Dietmar Woidke into crisis, as the government holds only a slim two-vote majority.
At the end of November, Simon halted his exit following a discussion with party founder Sahra Wagenknecht. He stated he could achieve more within the party than outside. Now, Matzies has also reversed her withdrawal. "The BSW is the only consistent peace party in Germany," she wrote. After constructive talks with party representatives, her concerns about authoritarian tendencies and the handling of the AfD were addressed. "There is consensus that the AfD is our political opponent who must be confronted on content," she emphasized. The final decision came after the BSW federal party congress.
The AfD is exploiting the uncertainty and urging Woidke to pose a confidence vote. Faction leader Hans-Christoph Berndt said: "We want clarity on who stands by this minister president." The motion is to be introduced next week. Woidke had rejected this in November. The coalition has been in power for just under a year. BSW lawmaker Sven Hornauf has voted against the line multiple times. Next week, Simon will be absent due to an accident, and one AfD lawmaker is out due to illness.
BSW faction leader Niels-Olaf Lüders stressed: "We will do everything necessary to prevent this coalition from failing on such a game." CDU faction leader Jan Redmann views upcoming votes as a "shaky affair" for the government. The confidence vote is regulated in Article 87 of the state constitution; without a majority, the parliament can dissolve itself.