Thüringen Minister-President Mario Voigt (CDU) announced on Wednesday that he has withdrawn his legal challenge against the revocation of his doctoral degree by Chemnitz University of Technology.
The CDU politician has faced intense political pressure over recent months following the plagiarism controversy. While two motions of no-confidence, requested by the AfD parliamentary group, failed, the case continues to be a point of contention.
The university had initially revoked his doctoral title in January after allegations surfaced that he had worked improperly on his 2008 dissertation. A subsequent appeal lodged by Voigt was dismissed in July. He stated that he has decided to discontinue the legal dispute regarding his dissertation so that he can focus entirely on his duties as head of government, noting that his energy and attention should be dedicated to the citizens of Thuringia.
The allegations of plagiarism were first brought forward in the summer of 2024 when he was still a leading candidate for the CDU in the state elections. The dissertation itself addressed the topic of presidential elections in the United States. Voigt currently heads a minority government in Thuringia, formed by the CDU, SPD, and the successor party of the BSW splinter group, “Thüringen Gerecht.” The BSW recently fell apart due to disputes over participation in the state government.
