After his doctorate is withdrawn: Thuringian Prime Minister Voigt gives up the fight for a doctorate

Shortly before a vote on an AfD motion to dissolve the state parliament, Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt declared the legal dispute over his doctorate to be over. As Prime Minister, his attention belongs to the citizens, said the CDU politician in a press conference in the Thuringian state parliament. “And that’s why I decided to stop the legal dispute over my dissertation.”

In particular, the opposition AfD with its state party and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke had repeatedly focused the spotlight on the issue and thus put Voigt under political pressure. The AfD parliamentary group has already pushed for two constructive votes of no confidence in the Thuringian state parliament, which were intended to overthrow Voigt, but failed.

Voigt's announcement that he would end the legal dispute over his doctoral thesis came half an hour before a special session of the state parliament, at which a decision would be made on the dissolution of parliament at the request of the AfD parliamentary group. However, it is considered unlikely that the necessary two-thirds majority will be achieved. Voigt said that attempts were being made to cause discord and chaos.

The 49-year-old has been involved in the debate about his doctoral thesis since the 2024 state election campaign, when the first allegations of plagiarism arose. The dissertation dates from 2008 and is entitled: “The American presidential election campaign: George W. Bush versus John F. Kerry”.

When the Chemnitz University of Technology's decision to withdraw Voigt's doctorate became known, the head of government immediately announced legal action. “The scientific core of my work is not affected by the allegations,” said the CDU politician in a statement at the time. In a press conference he asserted that he had written the dissertation to the best of his knowledge and belief. “And that’s why I’m fighting for my doctoral thesis,” he said at the time.

Now he is giving up this fight - but insists on his assessment. “Nothing has changed in my position, only in the assessment of what is important,” he said. After his failed objection to Chemnitz University of Technology, Voigt filed a lawsuit with the administrative court in Chemnitz. When asked, he said the process was still at an early stage. He withdrew the lawsuit on Wednesday morning. The decision is not easy for him. His lawyers advised him to continue the proceedings. He wanted to “concentrate on what lies ahead of us” without making any compromises, he said.

The head of government also justified his move with the political situation, which has changed noticeably with the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. “The severity of the political debate demands full commitment,” he said. There are also changed majority relationships in the Thuringian state parliament. Voigt was alluding to the breakup of the BSW faction - his coalition partner. Ten of the original 15 MPs have now joined forces to form a new faction called Thüringen.Gerecht and are supporting the state government. However, Voigt's stalemate coalition has shrunk into a real minority government.

In view of the developments in Saxony-Anhalt, people in Thuringia must also ask themselves “how we can be successful in 2029,” said Voigt. The next regular state election in Thuringia is scheduled for 2029.