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BSW in Thuringia: No to the arms industry – an appeal for peace!
On September 27th, 2025, the BSW state party conference took place in Bleicherode, where the development of an arms industry was rejected.
BSW in Thuringia: No to the arms industry – an appeal for peace!
The state party conference of the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) took place in Bleicherode, Thuringia, at the weekend. Here, party leader Katja Wolf made it clear that the BSW is against the militarization of society. “Thuringia should not become an ‘extended workbench of the arms industry’,” she emphasized loudly stern.de. The party conference formulated a clear appeal against the development of arms industry locations in East Germany. This attitude is also supported by the peace preamble in the coalition agreement with the CDU and SPD.
Meanwhile, in eastern Germany there is a race for more orders in the arms industry. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently sought talks with the heads of government of the East German states to discuss the challenges in industry. “We need more arms orders for the new federal states,” was an announcement from Mario Voigt, the head of the Thuringian government. He made Thuringia's innovative strength clear and called for more attention from the federal government for the East zdf.de reported.
Conflicting perspectives
The political positions could hardly be more different. While the BSW is vehemently against militarization, the heads of government of the East German states are behind expanding the arms industry in order to strengthen the local economy. Currently, around 90 percent of the armaments locations are in West Germany, and an investment conference for East Germany has already been announced. There are prospects here, but there are also concerns about a shortage of skilled workers and high energy prices, which are putting a strain on companies.
In his analyses, Merz describes the fears of many citizens of decline and emphasizes the need to regain trust in the political leadership. This is happening against the backdrop of upcoming elections in two federal states, where coalition building represents a particular challenge. Disagreement on arms issues within coalitions is seen as a potential obstacle mdr.de reported.
The position of the BSW
The BSW has lost significant support in the last election surveys and only achieved 9.0 percent in September - a significant decline compared to 15.8 percent in the state elections last year. There are critical voices within the party that see co-government as a reason for the poor poll numbers. Nevertheless, 38 delegates were elected for the federal party conference in December, which indicates the solidarity that still exists.
Finally, a concept for future industries is expected to overcome the economic challenges and create new perspectives. The current double budget 2026/27, which contains the largest investment program in years, could make an important contribution to this. The dynamics within the BSW and the political currents in the East are likely to bring exciting developments in the future.