FDP holds Congress ahead of parliamentary elections

On 14-16 May, German ALDE Party member Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) organised its 72^nd congress in preparation of the federal parliamentary elections on 26 September.

The party’s Secretary-General Volker Wissing sees the federal elections as the perfect opportunity to comprehensively modernise Germany and bring it fully into the 21^st century with the mission “There has never been more to do!”.

Wissing stated: “We are not running to help others into the Federal Chancellery, we want to ensure that our country does not drift into the blind faith in the state, which in truth paralyses a society instead of strengthening it.”

Wissing also highlighted FDP’s strong team, which will be led by FDP party leader Christian Lindner, who was elected as top candidate earlier this year. Wissing underlined the importance of German creativity, and the competition of technologies that should tackle the challenges of the 21^st century.

“Important policy areas such as digitisation, energy transition and climate change should not be determined by strict state guidelines”, he said.

After securing wins in the state elections of Rheinland-Pfalz and Baden-Württemberg, Christian Lindner looks confident towards the coming months.

He delivered a speech at the Congress, covering topics such as strengthening the market economy, restructuring state finances and ensuring more individual freedom and personal responsibility focused on an improved education system. In terms of sustainability FDP pleas for an expansion of the EU emissions trading system to all sectors and lower energy taxation.

“Let us increase the attractiveness of Germany as a location by relieving the burden, because a high-tax country is not attractive for bright minds and hard-working hands. Our aim is to relieve those who are supposed to create new and secure jobs and exciting business models by investing in digitisation and climate protection,” Lindner says.

You can learn more about FDP’s party programme here (in German).

Lindner also expressed his wish to co-govern from the center and to prevent the so called “traffic light coalition” which would consist of Conservatives and Greens, and potentially Socialists. Lindner believes that a double-digit result should be possible, thus exceeding the result of 2017 (10.7%). Currently, FDP polls around 11.5%.

During the Congress, Lindner was also re-elected as party leader with a majority of 93%.