Althaus was convicted of negligent homicide by an Austrian court earlier this month, and fined €33,300 for the accident which killed Beata Christandl, a 41-year-old Slovakian woman.
Yet this notwithstanding – and the fact that he remains in hospital receiving treatment for his own injuries, Althaus’ colleagues in the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) made him their lead candidate for the election.
At the meeting in Waltershausen on Saturday, his deputy Birgit Diezel read a statement from her boss. It said he was ready, “to serve the free state further” and “carry the responsibilities of premier in the beautiful and successful state of Thuringia with my full power.”
Althaus is expected to return to work before the summer holidays.