Erfurt (dpa/th) - Doreen Denstädt was sworn in as the new Minister of Justice and Bernhard Stengele as the new Minister for the Environment in the Thuringian state parliament. The two Green politicians took the oath of office on Wednesday without adding "so help me God". Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) said Denstädt was an experienced representative from the police service. "In Mr. Stengele we have an experienced politician who has been successful in international projects but also as an artist," said the head of government shortly before the swearing-in ceremony. Stengele and Denstädt had previously received their certificates of appointment.
Stengele succeeds Anja Siegesmund at the head of the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation, who announced her withdrawal from state politics shortly before Christmas. Denstädt takes over the Ministry for Migration, Justice and Consumer Protection, which was headed by Dirk Adams until the beginning of January. Adams was fired at his party's insistence.
The previous head of the police confidentiality office, Meike Herz, was appointed as the new state secretary in the Ministry of Justice. Like her predecessor, Sebastian von Ammon, she is a qualified lawyer.
