Overview
- Georg Maier announced on Wednesday that he will not seek re-election as SPD Thuringia chair at the Landesparteitag on 21 November 2026 and will step down from the party post.
- He will remain Interior Minister and cited rising demands of that office, including handling hybrid-threat scenarios and work tied to a possible AfD-ban procedure, as key reasons for giving up the party leadership.
- Maier named Katharina Schenk, the state Social, Labour and Health Minister and his deputy in the party, as his preferred successor and she said she is ready and eager to lead the SPD in Thuringia.
- Social-democratic county leaders and the SGK publicly backed Schenk as the orderly choice for succession.
- The Jusos urged a broader, more diverse incoming state executive beyond current government figures, and Maier’s orderly handover after six years as chair leaves the November conference to decide how the party balances government work, renewal and internal representation.