Fabio De Masi, the chairman of the BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht), has called for the resignation of Thuringian Minister-President Mario Voigt (CDU). Aligning with this, party founder Sahra Wagenknecht has urged the publication Stern to press for the election of a non-partisan head of government in Thuringia-a position that would need to build majorities in the Erfurt Parliament potentially with the support of the AfD.
The BSW’s stance is a direct response to the decision by TU Chemnitz to reject Voigt’s appeal against the revocation of his doctoral degree. De Masi considers the current situation unsustainable, stating that Voigt should avoid dragging Thuringia into “further drama” and face the consequences. He argued that standards should not be applied inconsistently.
Wagenknecht echoed these sentiments, labeling Voigt the “lame duck of Thuringia.” She stressed that the populace deserves better than “an unpopular coalition that essentially spans from the CDU to the Left.” Furthermore, she advocated that Thuringia should seek a widely accepted, non-partisan minister-president who could govern amidst fluctuating majorities, possibly involving the AfD.
However, Thuringia’s BSW Deputy Minister-President Katja Wolf dismissed these demands. The state party leader told Stern that while she acknowledges the federal party holds a different view on this issue, there are “different roles and perspectives” at play.
From Wolf’s perspective, the decision by TU Chemnitz does not affect the coalition’s stability. She described the ruling as predictable and not very surprising, given that the same body made the initial decision to revoke the doctorate and judged the subsequent appeal. Therefore, according to Wolf, the Thuringian BSW will continue to collaborate in trust.
