The CDU Bundestagsabgeordnete (member of the German parliament) Philipp Amthor is set to take on a key role in the leadership of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The 31-year-old is proposed to become the party’s secretary general in the state. The CDU in the northeast has been facing a leadership crisis for some time. During his introduction, Amthor experienced a moment of weakness.
Daniel Peters, the designated leader of the state CDU, announced that he would propose Amthor for the position of secretary general. Peters, who currently serves as the deputy secretary general of the Northeast CDU, will run for state leadership at the party congress on April 13 in Rostock. Following the unexpected resignation of the previous party leader Franz-Robert Liskow earlier this year, Amthor was also considered as a possible candidate for the top position. However, the 31-year-old from Ueckermünde declined, stating that his current political role is in federal politics. As the new secretary general, Amthor would have a more significant role in state politics. Peters had previously used this position to launch verbal attacks against the red-red coalition led by Minister President Manuela Schwesig (SPD).
During his presentation as the future secretary general, Amthor briefly experienced a moment of weakness on Wednesday. Standing next to Peters, Amthor suddenly collapsed during the press conference. He fell to the ground, remained there for seconds, then got up and resumed answering journalists’ questions after a brief interruption. He attributed the incident to not having eaten anything that day, adding humorously that relaxing Easter holidays are apparently not good for a workaholic like him. Later, he posted on Instagram from a pizzeria in Schwerin, reassuring his followers that he was fine and had simply not eaten enough.
Amthor had previously announced in 2020 that he would run for state leadership, but withdrew his candidacy amidst a lobbying scandal. He faced criticism for advocating for the US company “Augustus Intelligence” in exchange for receiving stock options. The Berlin public prosecutor later cleared Amthor of any suspicion of bribery. Peters, the new state party leader, currently has no opposing candidates. The 42-year-old from Rostock expressed his desire to lead the party for the long term and put an end to the ongoing leadership crisis. He also stated his willingness to run as the lead candidate in the 2026 state elections. Peters would be the fourth CDU state leader in just over four years. In the 2021 state election, the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with around 4,500 members, achieved its lowest result of 13.3%, making it the third-largest party in the parliament, behind the SPD and AfD.
