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POLITICS

German minister resigns over plagiarism claims

The Social Democrat candidate standing for Berlin's mayoral job in September's election resigned from her ministerial post on Wednesday over claims she plagiarised her doctoral thesis, in a blow to the centre-left party.

German minister resigns over plagiarism claims
Giffey took part in a federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Reuters/Pool | Michele Tantussi

“In the last few days, discussions have again arisen about my dissertation from 2010,” Franziska Giffey, families minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government, said in a statement.

She has therefore resigned from her ministerial post, she said, though she still intends to run as the SPD’s candidate to be the mayor of Berlin in elections in September.

Giffey, 43, has been dogged by claims of plagiarism since 2019, when the Free University of Berlin opened a probe into her doctoral thesis on European politics.

The VroniPlag Wiki platform said some 49 of the 265 pages of the thesis showed signs of plagiarism, ranging from unattributed quotes to copying and pasting from other works.

The university ruled that Giffey could retain her “doctor” title — a highly prized asset in Germany — but issued a reprimand, fuelling further suspicions about her work.

A new investigation was opened in 2020 and German media reported last week that the university had decided to revoke the doctorate, though a final decision has not yet been made.

While maintaining that she wrote the thesis “to the best of my knowledge and belief”, Giffey said Wednesday she was offering her resignation as a result of “the ongoing and burdensome proceedings”.

The Berlin SPD could still “rely on me” as their candidate in September, she said.

Former German defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and education minister Annette Schavan were forced to resign in 2011 and 2013 respectively over allegations of plagiarism.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced similar accusations in 2015 but was cleared by the Medical University of Hanover despite “obvious shortcomings” in the attribution of references.

READ ALSO: Another German minister hit by plagiarism row

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POLITICS

Scholz calls on coalition to ‘pull ourselves together’

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called on his fractious governing coalition to "pull ourselves together" following a dismal showing in EU parliament elections last week.

Scholz calls on coalition to 'pull ourselves together'

In power since the end of 2021, the three parties in government — Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP — have been at loggerheads on a wide range of issues including climate measures and budget spending.

“I think that this is one of the entirely justified criticisms of many citizens, namely that there is too much debate” within the coalition, Scholz told German television channel ZDF on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

“We need to pull ourselves together and stick together to reach agreements,” he added.

“The people have the right to demand that things change,” Scholz told public broadcaster ARD.

The three parties in the coalition suffered a severe defeat in the European elections, with the SPD achieving its worst result in a national election since 1949.

Subsequently, Scholz has faced mounting criticism within his own party.

On Saturday, however, Scholz told ZDF and ARD that he was “sure” that he would be the SPD’s next candidate for the chancellorship in the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2025.

In the very short term, a new test awaits the coalition, which must reach an agreement on the 2025 budget by the beginning of July.

The FDP’s finance minister is opposed to any exceptions to the rules limiting debt and to any tax increases.

On the other hand, the SPD and the Greens are opposed to cuts in social welfare or climate protection.

The debate is also focused on increasing the resources allocated to the German army.

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