FDP party conference: Lindner’s election result is trend-setting

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This party congress of the Liberals is explosive. Because the FDP party leader Christian Lindner has his back to the wall. Since entering the traffic light coalition, the poll numbers of the Free Democrats have fallen considerably. A result of 11.5 percent, as in the last federal election, is currently unthinkable. By far not. Rather, they have to worry about reaching the 5 percent hurdle in the upcoming elections in Hesse, Bavaria and Bremen.

Christian Lindner wants to sharpen his party’s line at the federal party conference – and have his previous course confirmed. But first he had to be re-elected. Because the Liberals will re-elect their entire leadership this year as scheduled. There is one big change.

Lindner’s election shows the mood of the party base – with a view of the traffic lights

Fiscal discipline and tax cuts. The great hobbyhorses of the FDP for profile sharpening. The newly elected board of the FDP also wants to continue on this course.

Lindner’s election result is particularly trend-setting for the future of the party in the federal government.

Two years ago – a few months before the federal elections – 93 percent of the delegates voted for him. His result can now also be seen as an indication of how satisfied the party base is with what has been achieved so far in the traffic light coalition SPD and greens is.

Christian Lindner was confirmed in office this year. 88 percent of those entitled to vote voted for the party leader.

So that means that his party base is still satisfied with what the traffic light coalition with the SPD and the Greens has achieved so far. He has lost a few percent compared to the last election (93 percent) and has to take a small setback. In 2019, Lindner received 87 percent.

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is the new party vice of the FDP.Image: dpa / Michael Kappeler

Election of the federal board of the FDP has change ready

The three-day party conference was opened on Friday morning by European politician Nicola Beer. In her speech, she already pointed out a change in the board: she is no longer running for party vice-presidency and will in future represent Germany as vice-president on the Executive Committee of the European Investment Bank (EIB). It was therefore “a very special federal party conference” for her, she emphasized on Friday.

Beer will be replaced by Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger. She was elected to one of the three deputy positions with 86 percent of the vote.

Topics such as vocational training for young people and innovations in renewable energies are important to her, said the Federal Minister of Education on Friday in the run-up to the election in the ZDF morning magazine.

After several years of crisis, the FDP politician Bettina Stark-Watzinger wants to focus on a growth agenda. At the party congress, one must “set the right accents” and again address future issues in Germany, she emphasized.

FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki was confirmed in office.Image: dpa / Marcus Brandt

With a view to the party’s weak polls, Stark-Watzinger said that the FDP did not measure itself against other parties, but went into coalition negotiations with its own goals and ideas. “We have our own ideas and that’s why it’s our job. It’s all about struggling for the best solutions.”

Current Vice Wolfgang Kubicki (72 percent) was confirmed in office, as was Vice Johannes Vogel (71 percent). The defense politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann was unanimously named the top candidate for the FDP on Thursday by the federal executive board of the FDP European election nominated next year.

(With material from the dpa)