German regional governor resigns after a day in office, calls for new polls
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The premier of Germany’s Thuringia state Thomas Kemmerich resigned Thursday and called for snap regional polls, a day after he was voted into office with help from far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers, sparking a political earthquake.
Wednesday’s surprise election of Kemmerich by Thuringia’s state legislature with the help of the far-right AfD has turned into a major embarrassment for Germany’s mainstream centre-right parties and revived questions about the future of the country’s governing coalition.
Chancellor Angela Merkel – whose party’s own regional lawmakers voted for Kemmerich Wednesday against national leaders’ wishes – on Thursday condemned his election as “inexcusable” and said the result must not stand.
Thuringia’s last election in October produced an inconclusive result. The governor is elected by the state legislature.
Despite all the trouble, having spent one day on the job will automatically entitle Kemmerich to a full month’s pay. In Thuringia, the state premier’s base monthly salary is €16,617 ($18,250).
Additionally, he will receive a work allowance of €766 and, because the former premier is married, RND found he could also take home a family allowance of €153. In total, Kemmerich is set to make some €17,536 for his first month.
But that is not all that he is entitled to for having spent a day at the helm. According to the law in Thuringia, cited by RND, Kemmerich is entitled to a transitional allowance for a minimum of six months.
This would be paid in full for the first three months and in half for the last three.
In total, the disgraced former premier’s one day would make him eligible for €50,312 in the first three months and another €25,156 after that. In addition to his €17,536 salary in February, the amount would total €93,004.
Whether or not Kemmerich is slated to receive the six-month payments has not been clear, but until a new person is on the job, he will remain eligible to receive it.
The one thing the FDP leader will not be able to cash in will be a pension. For that, according to Thuringia’s law, the politician would have to serve two years on the job.
