State parliament dissolution: Höcke: State parliament dissolution due to plagiarism scandal and BSW exit

The AfD parliamentary group has launched an attempt to dissolve the Thuringian state parliament and allow new elections. AfD parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke justified a corresponding request in the state parliament in Erfurt with the plagiarism affair of CDU Prime Minister Mario Voigt and the disintegration of the BSW parliamentary group. Ten of the former BSW MPs now form the Thuringia.Gerecht parliamentary group, which supports the minority government of Prime Minister Mario Voigt together with the CDU and SPD.

Höcke accused Voigt of dishonorable behavior in connection with the revocation of his doctorate by Chemnitz University of Technology. “You would have to resign.” Shortly before the special session of Parliament, Voigt stated that he had withdrawn his lawsuit against the revocation of his doctorate in order to give his full attention to Thuringia and its citizens.

Höcke referred to the changed majority situation due to the collapse of the BSW. There is a “crisis of parliament’s legitimacy”. The parliamentary group leaders of the CDU, Thuringia.Gerecht, SPD and the opposition Left rejected the AfD application. “They don’t want to dissolve the state parliament because it is unable to act, but because they need a stage,” explained CDU parliamentary group leader Andreas Bühl.

A two-thirds majority is required to dissolve the state parliament, which will be voted on at midday. The AfD parliamentary group has 32 of the 88 seats in the state parliament.