Kemmerich takes over chairmanship of Petry's "Team Freedom"

Thuringia's former short-term Minister President Thomas Kemmerich has joined "Team Freiheit", founded by former AfD leader Frauke Petry, after leaving the FDP. Kemmerich will become the new chairman of the association behind the "citizens' movement", as "Team Freiheit" announced in a post on Platform X and on its website.

Kemmerich and Petry would "present a completely new, previously missing political offer", according to the post. The 60-year-old had only made his resignation from the FDP public around a week ago.

Kemmerich was surprisingly elected Thuringia's Minister President in 2020 with votes from the CDU, AfD and FDP. The election plunged Thuringia into a deep government crisis. Following nationwide protests and pressure from within the party, Kemmerich resigned. Afterwards, his relationship with the federal FDP was considered strained.