CDU in Thuringia: Thadäus König to become President of the State Parliament

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The CDU in Thuringia has decided on its candidate for President of the State Parliament. According to information from the star On Monday afternoon, the parliamentary group nominated MP Thadäus König for the office. The secret ballot was unanimous.

The 42-year-old defended his direct mandate in the Eichsfeld district in the state elections on September 1 with the best result in the state of 54.3 percent. In 2019, the political scientist and former managing director of the Kolping educational organization was elected to the state parliament for the first time. At that time, he clearly defeated the AfD state and parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke in the constituency.

CDU man Thadäus König to become President of the Thuringian State Parliament

On Monday afternoon, the CDU informed its potential coalition partners BSW and SPD about the personnel proposal. The Left Party is also to be involved. In Erfurt, it is assumed that König can count on a clear majority in the election scheduled for Thursday.

Nevertheless, the election of the MP is uncertain. According to the current rules of procedure of the state parliament and a resolution of the Council of Elders from the last legislative period, the AfD, as the largest parliamentary group, has the sole right to propose the election of the President of the State Parliament in the first two rounds of voting. In addition, the President of the State Parliament, who leads the vote, is an AfD MP. He could drag out the election process or even cancel it altogether.

The CDU and BSW have submitted a motion to change the rules of procedure, according to which other factions can submit proposals in the first round of voting. It is to be passed by the state parliament before the election on Thursday. The SPD and the Left Party have declared themselves open to this. Höcke, on the other hand, spoke of “political sleight of hand” by the “cartel parties”.

However, it is legally controversial whether the state parliament can even pass motions before the election of a president – and the associated formal constitution of parliament. The state parliament’s research service has affirmed this in a so-called non-paper. However, it is considered likely that the AfD will challenge the decision before the state constitutional court.

Höcke’s parliamentary group has proposed the newly elected MP Wiebke Muhsal as president. She is a close confidante of the state leader and was already a member of the state parliament between 2014 and 2019. Because she is alleged to have incorrectly accounted for public funds during this time, she was convicted of fraud. This is another reason why the other parliamentary groups consider her ineligible for election.

Also on Monday afternoon, the committees of the Thuringian CDU also agreed to invite BSW and SPD to formal exploratory talks. The decision was made according to information from the star also unanimously.