Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht – Finally a New Player in the German Party Landscape?

Forming new parties in Germany poses significant challenges. Since the establishment of the Alternative for Germany in 2013, no party has managed to achieve noteworthy election results at the federal level. All new formations remained insignificant in the long term, even if they were initiated by well-known politicians. Now there is another new party: Bündnis [Alliance] Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), which was founded in early 2024 and consists mainly of former members of the Left Party. BSW merges left-wing ideas, such as taxing the rich, with conservative ones, such as a strict immigration policy. This positions BSW as a competitor for both left- and right-wing parties and detaches it from the established party families. Nationwide polls predict good results for the party, around 10 percent, with polls in East Germany even reaching over 20 percent. So, finally, a successful new formation? Based on the results of the 2024 European elections, the article examines the performance of BSW and discusses the potential as a cross-camp party in future elections. In a first step, categories for the success of new parties are compiled from the literature on newcomer parties. Subsequently, the specific strategies and internal logics of the BSW are analysed using the derived categories. Conclusions are drawn regarding the potential of BSW and the potential impact on the German party system. The study thus provides a significant contribution to the understanding of the new party BSW, the application and verification of theories of party success, and the potential changes in the German party system.