TU Chemnitz investigates allegations of plagiarism against Thuringia's CDU leader Voigt
The accusation comes at a bad time for the CDU's top candidate in Thuringia: An Austrian plagiarism hunter claims to have found several plagiarisms in Voigt's dissertation. The CDU dismisses this, even seeing a maneuver before the election. The University of Chemnitz sees it differently.
The Technical University of Chemnitz is investigating plagiarism allegations against Thuringia's CDU chairman Mario Voigt. As the university told MDR, a so-called plagiarism hunter has turned to the university and reported Voigt for alleged plagiarisms in his doctoral thesis. The suspicion is now being investigated internally according to a fixed procedure.
The CDU in Thuringia has already rejected the allegations that its party chairman and top candidate for the state election plagiarized in his doctoral thesis. Voigt had created his promotion to the best of his knowledge and conscience, Christian Herrgott, general secretary of the German Press Agency, said. He also referred to an earlier examination of the dissertation from 2008 on US presidential election campaigns, which found no indications of violations of the principles of good scientific practice.
New elections for the state parliament will take place in Thuringia on September 1st, and Voigt wants to move into the state chancellery as Minister President with his CDU. With values between 21 and 23 percent in recent polls, the 47-year-old is in second place behind the AfD, which is at around 30 percent.
CDU speaks of slander attempt
Herrgott sees no coincidence in the publication of the allegations against Voigt just before the election: "It doesn't surprise us at all that such allegations, which have already been refuted in the past, are being raised against Mario Voigt just a few days before the most important election in the history of the Free State of Thuringia. It is obviously about slandering him," he said. Herrgott told MDR that the plagiarism accusation had already been examined by an expert in the spring and found to be unfounded.
Previously, the Austrian communication scientist Stefan Weber, known as a plagiarism hunter, had informed the TU Chemnitz via email that he had found 46 plagiarisms in Voigt's dissertation. Weber told dpa that he considers it "not only normal, but even important that someone screens the vitae and written statements of the candidates during an election campaign."
According to Weber's statements, he also takes on paid assignments. "Then there is confidentiality about the commission," he writes in his answer. He is even legally obliged to do so - in terms of trade law, he is a detective. However, there are also investigations that are carried out due to an anonymous tip via a form on his website or out of personal interest, he writes.
Criticism of the approach
Herrgott criticized the examination of the dissertation. "If it had been about clarification of facts, one would have exclusively 'alerted' the responsible TU Chemnitz and not the media," he explained. It is also not about improving science, "because otherwise Mario Voigt would have first been given the opportunity to examine and comment on it."
Voigt worked temporarily in the USA for his research work. At the private Quadriga Hochschule in Berlin, he is a professor of Digital Transformation and Politics. His doctoral thesis was written by the Chemnitz political scientist Eckhard Jesse, who became known for his controversial image of the horseshoe for left and right extremism.
The investigation into plagiarism allegations against Voigt by the Technical University of Chemnitz leaves the CDU in Thuringia facing accusations of attempting to cover up 'Plagiarism and other crimes'. Previously, the Austrian plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber had reported Voigt for alleged plagiarisms in his doctoral thesis, claiming to have found 46 instances of plagiarism.
