Delegates of FDP in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have elected their state list for the federal election at the weekend with 96.9% choosing party leader Christian Lindner as their top candidate. ALDE Party Vice President and current MP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff was selected in the third spot on the list with fellow MP Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann at number two. The full list of candidates is here.

After the vote, the FDP federal chairman said it was “For me both a pleasure and an honour" and he thanked delegates for the vote of confidence. In his speech, he said he wanted to lead the FDP in Berlin from the opposition bank to be the rudder of government, and that: "we are ready to take on responsibility for the Federal Republic of Germany." He stressed, however, that government participation will depend on the right contents of any potential coalition agreement.

Unser Spitzenkandidat zur Bundestagswahl ist @c_lindner, der mit 96,9 % gewählt wurde. Wir gratulieren und freuen uns auf den Wahlkampf! #lwv #FDP #NRW pic.twitter.com/lw6jMOFGzD

— FDP NRW (@fdp_nrw) March 21, 2021

„Wir bewerben uns um Verantwortung für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Wenn Deutschland von der #FDP mitgestaltet wird, hat es eine bessere Zukunft. Dafür machen wir nun Wahlkampf!“, so @c_lindner in seiner Bewerbungsrede für unseren Listenplatz 1 #lwv #NRW pic.twitter.com/7DsI57P9RX

— FDP NRW (@fdp_nrw) March 21, 2021

The state election meeting took place on site, with participants only permitted to enter the hall after presenting a negative Coronavirus test result. Physical distancing and hygiene rules were also in place. Only about 320 of the 400 delegates entitled to vote came personally to Dortmund's Westfalenhalle which those absent transferring their voting rights to party colleagues. 

Photo credit: Christian Lindner (MdB, Bundesvorsitzender FDP), stephan-roehl.de