Thuringia's Minister President Mario Voigt plans to sue the Technical University of Chemnitz after it revoked his PhD title. The allegations concern only a small part of his 2008 dissertation, but the university sees procedural flaws. Voigt criticizes the process as unfair and unusual.
Mario Voigt, the 48-year-old CDU politician and Minister President of Thuringia, earned his PhD in 2008 at TU Chemnitz with the thesis 'The American Presidential Election Campaign: George W. Bush versus John F. Kerry.' The dissertation was largely completed in the USA, including trips to the White House and over 30 interviews. His doctoral advisor was political scientist Eckhard Jesse, with Torsten Oppelland as second reviewer.
In the summer of 2024, allegations surfaced that Voigt had worked sloppily, initiated by Austrian plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber. The issues concern 2.58 percent of the words, mainly the use of secondary literature without original sources, not primarily plagiarism. Voigt emphasizes: 'The scientific core of my work is not affected by the allegations.' He worked on it for four years and wrote it 'to the best of my knowledge and belief.'
TU Chemnitz commissioned an external expert in 2024, who concluded in February that revoking the title was not justified. Nevertheless, the university changed the rules for plagiarism checks in March or May and applied them to Voigt's work. The Extended Faculty Council unanimously decided on revocation on July 9, after careful review of all documents. The university defends this as fulfilling its duty of care.
Voigt complains: 'Why the university did not follow this expert opinion, which it commissioned itself, is incomprehensible to me.' Neither he nor his lawyers were heard, and new rules in an ongoing procedure are 'highly unusual.' His lawyers submitted a 187-page expert opinion refuting the allegations; they view the decision as unlawful. The external expert wrote: 'The reading of the work shows an independent scientific achievement that meets the requirements of a doctoral thesis.'
Coalition partners BSW and SPD show understanding. Finance Minister Katja Wolf (BSW) said: 'The university's decision raises questions from my perspective.' Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) emphasized: 'We are now called upon to continue working together.' Voigt plans to sue in administrative court.
