Josef Duchač, the first post-reunification premier of Thuringia, died on Friday at 88 after a long illness, the state chancellor’s office announced.
Born in 1938 in Bad Schlag (now Jablonecké Paseky, Czech Republic), Duchač trained as a chemical engineer and worked for decades at the Waltershausen rubber plant, rising to plant manager. He joined the CDU early and became chair of the Gotha district branch in October 1989. In June 1990, East Germany’s last premier, Lothar de Maizière, appointed him government representative for the Erfurt district; after reunification, he served as Thuringia’s state representative.
That autumn, the CDU won Thuringia’s first free election with Duchač as lead candidate, and he formed a coalition with the FDP to become the state’s first post-reunification minister-president. He resigned in February 1992 amid allegations of leadership weakness and ties to the former East German system, with several ministers having already stepped down. His CDU colleague Bernhard Vogel succeeded him and served until 2003.
After leaving office, Duchač led overseas representations for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Lisbon, St. Petersburg, and Budapest. In later years, he lived in Birkenwerder, Brandenburg, and was left blind by a stroke. Despite severe health limitations, he continued to follow and comment on political developments until his death.
Thuringia’s current minister-president, Mario Voigt (CDU), praised Duchač’s role in rebuilding the state. “The successful establishment of Thuringia is inseparably linked to his courage, perseverance, and personal commitment,” Voigt said. “Josef Duchač carried Thuringia and its people deep in his heart.”
