Sahra Wagenknecht's alliance performed above average among young people, says co-leader Mohamed Ali.

One and a half years after the founding of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance party, a separate youth association is being formed in Bochum. With this, the BSW is attempting to consolidate its organization and retain young people despite its departure from the Bundestag. The association will be called "Youth Alliance in the BSW."

The party performed above average among voters between 18 and 34 years of age in the federal election, said co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali before the founding meeting, which attracted approximately 150 registrations. "We are very pleased that there are so many active young people in the BSW who now want to get involved in a youth organization."

Among the issues for young people, the BSW's program includes the rejection of conscription and increased military spending. Mohamed Ali said that young people also have to pay off the "gigantic mountain of debt." At the same time, she called for investments in schools, infrastructure, and the economy.

It was not known in advance who would lead the youth association. At the end of June, the BSW announced that it would establish party branches nationwide and recruit significantly more members. The number of approximately 2,800 members at the time was expected to grow to 10,000 by the end of the year.

According to Mohamed Ali, the current members have an average age of 54, with only one in five members under 40. By comparison, the Left Party, from which the BSW split, says that almost 60 percent of all members are now 35 years old or younger.

The BSW narrowly missed entering the Bundestag in February. The party leadership has doubts about the official result of 4.981 percent of the second votes and is trying to secure a recount. At the same time, the party wants to consolidate its position for next year's state elections, especially in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin.