Federal party conference in Berlin
Christian Lindner confirmed as FDP leader with 88 percent
FDP leader Christian Lindner
© Christoph Soeder / DPA
Christian Lindner was re-elected party leader of the FDP. At the federal party conference in Berlin, the liberal received 88 percent of the delegate votes. Two years ago he had received 93 percent when he was re-elected.
The FDP chairman Christian Lindner was confirmed in office on Friday by the delegates of the federal party conference for another two years. Lindner received 88 percent of the votes in the vote in Berlin. He fell short of his last election result of 2021. Lindner has been at the head of the Liberals since 2013.
Lindner received 511 yes votes in the vote. 51 delegates voted no, 17 abstained. Of the 643 voting delegates, only 579 cast their votes.
Lindner thanked “for this special back strengthening”. When he was elected two years ago, he had received 93 percent. However, this was a few months before the federal elections – in other words, in a situation in which the base usually stands as united as possible behind the party leadership.
In a 90-minute speech, the head of the FDP and Federal Minister of Finance had previously called on the coalition partners SPD and Greens to economize in order to comply with the debt brake and get high inflation under control. He ruled out tax increases.
Lindner took up the controversial issues within the traffic light coalition, such as the building energy law with the rules for heating replacement. The draft is “not yet what should ultimately be decided by the Bundestag”. With regard to basic child security, Lindner pointed out that a lot had already been done for children. If he were faced with the choice of whether there should be additional transfer payments or concrete investments in education when funds were scarce, then he would advocate strengthening education.
The FDP leader also defended his Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing (FDP), who had been heavily criticized by the Greens and climate protection groups. The climate targets are being ripped off in the transport sector. “Volker Wissing is actually doing more for climate protection than the demands of the last generation and the climate stickers,” emphasized Lindner.