Overview
- Wolfgang Kubicki entered the race for FDP chair after Easter, prompting party leader Christian Dürr to drop his own bid and back him, while North Rhine‑Westphalia chief Henning Höne stayed in with support from Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann.
- Kubicki outlined a new leadership slate that features Linda Teuteberg, Susanne Seehofer, Katja Suding and Maria Westphal, with Martin Hagen proposed as secretary general to refresh the party’s image and signal a reset.
- The contest doubles as a strategy choice, with Kubicki arguing for a sharper right‑liberal profile to win back voters from the CDU and AfD, and Höne pushing a broader, more coalition‑ready center‑right approach.
- Both candidates pitch a reboot for a party in crisis after dropping out of the Bundestag in 2025 and missing the 5 percent threshold in Baden‑Württemberg and Rhineland‑Palatinate, with national polls now near three percent.
- Coverage reflects the split, as right‑leaning outlets see a Kubicki‑led FDP drawing disenchanted conservatives, while left‑leaning publications question his combative style and his plan to fix the “old white men” image with a named roster of women.