Thuringia’s CDU Prime Minister continues to hold office despite the withdrawal of his doctorate by TU Chemnitz (Chemnitz University of Technology), a decision he strongly disputes. The university cited several alleged plagiarism issues with Mario Voigt’s dissertation, which Voigt himself maintains were addressed correctly in an earlier independent expert report:
My work and the scientific research part are not affected by the allegations.
Emphasizing that his dissertation—mostly written in the United States—represents an independent scholarly achievement, Voigt announced that he will challenge the decision before the Administrative Court, criticized the university for retroactively changing evaluation standards, and stated that the external expert had confirmed the dissertation met scientific requirements, and questioned why the university disregarded that opinion.
Voigt’s doctorate from 2008 has a thesis on the “George W. Bush v. John F. Kerry” American presidential election campaign. He stressed that his focus will remain on governing Thuringia, declaring
The work here does not wait and will continue tomorrow with full force.
The controversy has sparked a political response. Opposition parties, particularly the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in the Thuringian State Parliament, have demanded his resignation. Opposition AfD leader Björn Höcke posted on X that the parliamentary group will submit a constructive vote of no confidence against Voigt, calling him “not trustworthy” and claiming he should no longer lead the state. Other opposition parties, such as the Left Party, have expressed criticism over procedural issues, while coalition partners SPD and BSW remain largely silent.
Historically cases of withdrawn doctorates—which typically involve plagiarism allegations—have led to resignations from politics, including CDU Education Minister Annette Schavan in 2013 and Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in 2011.
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