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Four Brandenburg BSW Lawmakers Quit Party, Putting SPDBSW Majority in Doubt

A media-policy rift now leaves the SPDBSW government short of an absolute majority.

Overview

  • Jouleen Gruhn, Melanie Matzies, André von Ossowski and Reinhard Simon resigned from the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht but will stay in the Landtag faction as independents and say they will keep backing the coalition’s work.
  • The exits follow weeks of infighting over two media-state treaties on public broadcasters and youth media protection, with the BSW federal board opposing the reforms and Finance Minister Robert Crumbach supporting them in cabinet.
  • The coalition’s arithmetic shifts from 46 to 42 seats without the four in the party ranks, stripping the SPDBSW alliance of an absolute majority in the 88-seat parliament.
  • In their statement, the four cited authoritarian tendencies, mounting pressure on MPs and ‘radicalized positions’ in the party; they also filed a no-confidence motion against faction chair Niels-Olaf Lüders.
  • Key votes loom: a main committee test is expected Wednesday and a Landtag decision is slated for Nov. 19–20, with the CDU signaling support for the treaties that could secure passage despite BSW opposition.