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Thuringia’s BSW Congress Rejects Defense Plants, Reaffirms Role in Government

Centralized vetting keeps membership small as leaders pair a peace platform with a promised “future industries” plan.

Overview

  • Delegates adopted an appeal opposing new arms‑industry sites in East Germany, pointing to the coalition agreement’s peace preamble.
  • The party announced it will develop a “future industries” concept with unions and companies as an economic alternative to rearmament.
  • A bid to revisit BSW’s role in the CDU–SPD–BSW coalition was voted down 59–41, confirming continued government participation and the party’s three ministers.
  • The Thuringian branch reports 241 members and about 500 applicants awaiting admission under a federal board–controlled process that has caused delays and some withdrawals; initial county chapters were formed in Gotha, Jena and Saalfeld‑Rudolstadt/Saale‑Orla.
  • Leaders reiterated a peace‑first message, with Infrastructure Minister Steffen Schütz saying the state should be made “funktionstüchtig, nicht kriegstüchtig,” and Katja Wolf urging substantive engagement with AfD proposals rather than simple avoidance.