Erfurt (dpa/th) – The Thuringian CDU parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt should also take over the chairmanship of the state party in the future. The district chairmen of the party decided unanimously on Monday evening in a switch with the presidium, as the German press agency learned on Tuesday. The previous state chairman Christian Hirte should therefore run as a deputy at the state party conference in mid-September. The Thüringer Allgemeine had previously reported.

After many discussions within the party, Christian Hirte and he made the decision to put party and parliamentary group chairmanship in one hand, Voigt told the dpa. “I want to express my determination to win the 2024 election by running for the party presidency.” He thanked Hirte for taking a step back to improve the party’s starting position for 2024.

The next state elections are due in Thuringia in 2024. Voigt had previously announced his willingness to be the top candidate.