Party congress: Dürr elected FDP boss – Lindner goes with a heavy heart

After the debacle in the Bundestag election, the FDP initiated its renewal process. A party conference in Berlin elected the former parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr with 82 percent of the delegate votes as the new federal chairman. He replaces Christian Lindner, who as a consequence from failure on the five percent clause in the Bundestag election on February 23. 505 of the 614 valid votes were on Dürr, who competed without opposing candidates. There were 82 votes in favor and 27 abstentions.

Dürr will lead the FDP back to the Bundestag in four years. However, his first test will be the state election in Baden-Württemberg in March next year, which the liberals see as their mainland.

Dürr wants a new basic program and party reform

Before his election, Dürr announced that he wanted to have a new basic program developed and a reform of the structures and processes in the FDP. “I want us to be the most modern party in Germany in terms of content. But I want us to be the most modern party in the Federal Republic of Germany.” The new program should not limit itself to the basic, but rather translate the liberal objectives and beliefs into the concrete reality of life of people. The working title could be “freedom of freedom”.

Dürr called on his party to keep the basic beliefs. When choosing, the extremes were the radiant winners, all – including the FDP – should therefore question themselves. “But the answer cannot be that you throw all beliefs overboard after the Bundestag election.”

Dürr called the liberals to unity and strictly rejected a change of course to the right. Some now gave the FDP the advice that it should move to the right and “somehow become conservative”. Others said that economic liberalism had long since overtaken. “This siren call – we hear them, but we don’t follow them.”

Lindner attacks government Merz to say goodbye

In his farewell speech celebrated with five -minute applause, Lindner attacked the new federal government and Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). It is good for Germany that the Bundestag election had made a directional decision. “In paradoxically, the Merz government hit a different direction than the voters had specified,” said Lindner. “The voters have chosen majority: less state and more freedom.

Debate about the future course of the FDP

Lindner vehemently spoke out against a change of course in response to the election defeat. “Some advise us to change the location in the political landscape. My advice is not,” he said. “The future of the FDP is not in a swivel to the left or right. It is in a political and personnel renewal.”

Former Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann also warned before approaching. “The appearance of cooperating with right -wing extremists damages the soul of a liberal party. (…) Anyone who wants to lead the FDP to the right leads them into the demise.”

Dürr said that some now gave the FDP the advice that it should move to the right and “somehow become conservative”. Others said that economic liberalism had long since overtaken. “This siren call – we hear them, but we don’t follow them.”

FDP also under pressure in the federal states

In the Bundestag election on February 23, the FDP had only brought 4.3 percent of the second votes and has not been represented in the Bundestag since then. This was already the case from 2013 to 2017. At that time, Lindner had led the party back to the Bundestag and then in 2021 to the federal government with the SPD and the Greens, which broke early. At the state level, too, it looks bad for the liberals: they only sit in 8 out of 16 state parliament.

Previous party vice Vogel sees the existence -threatening situation

The vice party leader Johannes Vogel, who was also divorced from the office, now sees the liberals in a struggle for survival. They did not come back to the Bundestag for the second time in their history, he said at the opening of the party congress. “This is an existential cut. But this party lives.” Much is different today than in 2013, said Vogel. “But something gives us strength and orientation. Namely that we have already mastered it as a party. That shows: it is possible.”

Lindner said the party conference may feel like a zero point for many liberals. But: “He is just a new beginning for this great free democratic party.”

Lindner thanks FDP for “great trip”

Lindner received a good five minutes of enthusiastic applause for his speech, which visibly moved him. The farewell is not easy for him, he confessed. He drew a positive record of his over eleven years at the head of the FDP. “I look back on a great trip with you. And I’m deeply grateful for that,” he said to the delegates. Many of them then thanked him in the pronunciation.

No critical analysis of the election debacle

Lindner did not provide a critical analysis of the reasons for the election debacle. He only spoke of mistakes and loss of approval and credibility in the traffic light coalition. “We will work this out under a new party leadership to learn from it.” With a view to the three years at the traffic light, Lindner also said: “We did a government responsibility, which was possible in the constellation. Incidentally, that was not that little.”

A billing of the base with the party leadership due to the disastrous Bundestag election was also in the pronunciation of Lindner’s speech. One of the few critical voices came from the Berlin delegate Karoline Preisler. “The old FDP leadership failed,” she said. “You are responsible, just you.”