Voigt officially proposed as CDU top candidate
Party and parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt has been officially nominated by the CDU state executive as the top candidate for next year's state elections. The decision was unanimous, the executive board announced in Erfurt on Wednesday. Voigt had already been seen for months as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) in the election, which is scheduled for September 1, 2024.
Earlier this week, the public prosecutor's office in Erfurt announced that investigations against 46-year-old Voigt had been discontinued. The suspicion of bribery in business transactions had not been confirmed.
Marion Walsmann from Erfurt was also unanimously nominated by the state executive committee as Thuringia's top candidate for the European elections. The 60-year-old is already a Member of the European Parliament. Her nomination is to take place this Saturday at a party conference in Mühlhausen.
CDU General Secretary Christian Herrgott explains that the CDU's aim is for Voigt to become the new Minister President of Thuringia. "The people of Thuringia quite rightly expect something fundamental to change in the state and for there to be a fundamental reorganization of refugee policy," said Herrgott.
The CDU is strongly backing Mario Voigt as their top candidate for the state elections, following his official nomination as the party's leader by the CDU state executive. With Marion Walsmann also nominated as Thuringia's top candidate for the European elections, the CDU aims to bring significant changes in the state, particularly in refugee policy, with Voigt potentially becoming the new Minister President of Thuringia.
Source: www.dpa.com
