The politics of Thuringia takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Thuringia. The four main parties, following the 2024 elections, are the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, the populist left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), and the left-wing Left Party.
Every five years, all Germans residing in the State over the age of 18 elect the members of the Landtag of Thuringia. This regional parliament or legislature then elects the Minister-President and confirms the cabinet members.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is currently largest party in the Landtag following the 2024 Thuringian state election.
Thuringia is notable for being the first and only state in Germany where The Left (Die Linke) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) have seen its first-ever first place finish in a state election. Die Linke in 2019 and the AfD in 2024.
Thuringia in 1930 saw the first Nazi to hold a ministerial-level post at any level in Germany, with Wilhelm Frick as state Minister of the Interior. List of minister-presidents of Thuringia 1990 - 1992: Josef Duchač (CDU) 1992 - 2003: Bernhard Vogel (CDU) 2003 - 2009: Dieter Althaus (CDU) 2009 - 2014: Christine Lieberknecht (CDU) 2014 - 2020: Bodo Ramelow (Left) 2020: Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) 2020 - 2024: Bodo Ramelow (Left) Since 2024: Mario Voigt (CDU)
Landtag of Thurinigia Party strength in the Landtag Election yearTotalseatsSeats wonCDUSPDPDSFDPGrüneLinkeAfDBSW199089442199619948842291719998849182120048845152820098830187627201491341262811201990218552922202488236123215
Legislative compositions
State election result maps
Constituencies in the Landtag NoConstituencyMember2024201920142009200419991994 1 Eichsfeld I Thadäus König CDU 2 Eichsfeld II Christina Tasch CDU 3 Nordhausen I Joerg Prophet AfD Left CDU 4 Nordhausen II Kerstin Düben-Schaumann AfD Left Left CDU 5 Wartburgkreis I Uwe Krell AfD CDU 6 Wartburgkreis II – Eisenach Ulrike Jary Left CDU 7 Wartburgkreis III Marcus Malsch CDU 8 Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis I Jonas Urbach CDU 9 Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis II Stefan Möller AfD AfD CDU 10 Kyffhäuserkreis I – Eichsfeld III Stefan Schard CDU 11 Kyffhäuserkreis II Jens Cotta AfD AfD CDU 12 Schmalkalden-Meiningen I Vivien Rottstedt AfD CDU 13 Schmalkalden-Meiningen II Jan Abicht AfD AfD Left CDU 14 Gotha I Marcel Kramer AfD AfD CDU 15 Gotha II Stephan Steinbrück AfD SPD SPD SPD CDU 16 Sömmerda I – Gotha III Daniel Haseloff AfD CDU 17 Sömmerda II Torsten Czuppon AfD AfD CDU 18 Hildburghausen I – Schmalkalden-Meiningen III Nadine Hoffmann AfD AfD Left CDU 19 Sonneberg I Jürgen Treutler AfD AfD CDU 20 Hildburghausen II – Sonneberg II Melanie Berger AfD CDU 21 Suhl – Schmalkalden-Meiningen IV Torsten Czuppon AfD Left Left Left PDS CDU 22 Ilm-Kreis I Andreas Bühl Left CDU 23 Ilm-Kreis II Olaf Kießling AfD AfD CDU 24 Erfurt I Sascha Castles AfD Left Left Left PDS CDU 25 Erfurt II Torsten Czuppon Left Left Left CDU 26 Erfurt III Bodo Ramelow Left Left Left CDU 27 Erfurt IV Torsten Czuppon AfD Left Left Left PDS CDU 28 Saalfeld-Rudolstadt I Thomas Benninghaus AfD AfD CDU 29 Saalfeld-Rudolstadt II Denis Häußer AfD CDU 30 Weimarer Land I – Saalfeld-Rudolstadt III Torsten Czuppon AfD CDU 31 Weimar I – Weimarer Land II Peter Gerhardt AfD CDU 32 Weimar II Ulrike Grosse-Röthig Left Left Left CDU 33 Saale-Orla-Kreis I Uwe Thrum AfD AfD CDU 34 Saale-Orla-Kreis II Ringo Mühlmann AfD Left CDU 35 Saale-Holzland-Kreis I Stephan Tiesler CDU 36 Saale-Holzland-Kreis II Wiebke Muhsal AfD CDU 37 Jena I Jens Thomas Left Left Left SPD CDU SPD 38 Jena II Lena Saniye Güngör Left Left Left Left CDU SPD 39 Greiz I Martina Schweinsburg CDU 40 Greiz II Christian Tischner CDU 41 Gera I Torsten Czuppon AfD Left Left Left PDS CDU 42 Gera II Wolfganf Lauerwald AfD AfD Left Left PDS CDU 43 Altenburger Land I Thomas Hoffmann AfD AfD CDU 44 Altenburger Land II Torben Braga AfD CDU
Constituencies in the Bundestag NoConstituencyMember2021Voters20172013200920052002199819941990 188 Eichsfeld – Nordhausen – Kyffhäuserkreis Manfred Grund 209,203 CDU 189 Eisenach – Wartburgkreis – Unstrut-Hainich-Kreis Klaus Stöber AfD 212,267 SPD SPD SPD CDU 190 Jena – Sömmerda – Weimarer Land I Holger Becker SPD 198,697 SPD SPD CDU 191 Gotha – Ilm-Kreis Marcus Bühl AfD 190,519 SPD SPD SPD CDU 192 Erfurt – Weimar – Weimarer Land II Carsten Schneider SPD 217,944 CDU SPDCreated for 2005 election 193 Gera – Greiz – Altenburger Land Stephan Brandner AfD 229,588 SPD SPD CDU 194 Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Holzland-Kreis – Saale-Orla-Kreis Michael Kaufmann AfD 219,437 CDU SPD SPDCreated for 2002 election 195 Suhl – Schmalkalden-Meiningen – Hildburghausen – Sonneberg Frank Ullrich SPD 230,071 Left SPD SPD SPD CDU
Bundestag election results Election year% won% wonCDUSPDPDSFDPGrüneNDPLinkeAfDBSW199010045.221.98.314.66.1199410041.030.217.24.14.9199810028.934.521.23.43.9200210029.439.917.05.94.3200510025.729.87.94.83.726.1200910031.217.69.86.028.8201310038.816.12.64.923.46.2201710028.813.27.84.116.922.7202110016.923.49.06.611.424.0202510018.68.82.84.215.238.69.4
See also Landtag of Thuringia 1990 Thuringian state election 1994 Thuringian state election 1999 Thuringian state election 2004 Thuringia state election 2009 Thuringia state election 2014 Thuringian state election 2019 Thuringian state election 2024 Thuringian state election New states of Germany Politics of East Germany
References