Ulrich Thoden | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Bundestag fromNorth Rhine-Westphalia | |
| Assumed office 2025 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1973-05-16)16 May 1973 (age 52) |
| Political party | Die Linke (since 2018) |
| Other political affiliations | SPD (until 2018) |
| Alma mater | University of Münster |
Ulrich Thoden (born 16 May 1973)[1] is a German politician fromDie Linke. He was elected to theGerman Bundestag via theNorth Rhine-Westphaliastate list in the2025 German federal election.[2]
Thoden was born in theMünster district ofMünster-Hiltrup [de]. After graduating from the Ratsgymnasium inMünster in 1992, Thoden studiedCatholic theology at theUniversity of Münster, graduating with distinction in 1999. In 2005, he passed theFirst State Examination for secondary school teachers and theSecond State Examination in 2008.[1] From 2006 , Thoden taught English,Latin, and Catholic theology at theCanisianum Gymnasium [de] inLüdinghausen,[3] where he also served as a class teacher. From 2017 until his entry into the21st Bundestag in 2025, he worked as a teacher at the Rheine vocational college in theSteinfurt district, where he taught English, Latin, philosophy, and Catholic religion.[1]
Thoden was already politically active during his school days at the Ratsgymnasium in Münster, for example by participating in demonstrations against theGulf War in 1991.[3] In 2008, he joined theSPD.[3] In 2016 applied within the party to succeed Münster SPD MPChristoph Strässer [de].[4] In 2018, he joinedDie Linke, where he wasparliamentary group spokesman for the Münster council group from 2020 to 2024. In 2022, he became deputy state spokesperson forThe Left Party in North Rhine-Westphalia and in 2023, delegate for North Rhine-Westphalia to the party council.[1]
On 14 December 2024, a general meeting was held, at which Thoden was elected as thedirect candidate inSteinfurt III.[5][6] At the state representative meeting of Die Linke NRW on 11 January 2025, it was announced that he would be running for the2025 German federal election for the state list position 4.[7] In his constituency, Die Linke received 6.0% for thefirst vote and 6.4% for thesecond vote.[8]
In addition to his political work, Thoden is active in theEducation and Science Union (GEW) . In 2017, he was elected chairman of the GEW Münster city association for the first time.[9][10] In this role, he advocates for better working conditions in the education sector and, in connection with the "Education Construction Site" campaign, criticized unequal pay for teachers and called for more staff through better pay and better working conditions.[11]
