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Thuringia’s Interior Minister Survives AfD Ouster Bid as Wiretap Uproar Grows

Prosecutors confirmed months-long monitoring of the police staff council’s phone, sharpening calls to clarify control of internal investigators.

Overview

  • Lawmakers rejected the AfD’s motion to dismiss Interior Minister Georg Maier, voting 47–31 to keep him in office after a heated special session.
  • A separate AfD motion attacking his ministry’s oversight of internal police probes failed 44–31, with five BSW lawmakers abstaining.
  • The Gera public prosecutor confirmed surveillance of the Hauptpersonalrat line and said personnel and union representatives lack special confidentiality protections.
  • Courts have ruled last March’s raids, including at the Police Union’s Thuringia branch, unlawful in the investigation into suspected leaks by police staff representatives.
  • The Internal Investigations unit reported to the Interior Ministry until late 2025, prompting questions over political responsibility as the GdP demands full clarification.