Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann reacted cautiously to the severe criticism leveled against her leadership bid by Wolfgang Kubicki. In an interview with the “Stern” the European politician suggested that the criticism might simply be lingering effects. She expressed confidence that Kubicki had eventually moved past the shock of her challenging him.
Addressing the newly elected FDP Chairman, she offered advice for the party’s future, suggesting that if the FDP is to succeed, he should take a break-perhaps even just for a few hours or by going to bed earlier. According to her, this respite would allow him to return to what is essential for a leader: something connecting the party members.
On Saturday at the FDP party convention in Berlin, Strack-Zimmermann garnered close to 40% of the delegates’ votes in a surprising run. While acknowledging that more preparation could have potentially boosted her numbers, she stated that her primary goal was simply to give the party the opportunity to have a debate. She view her result as an indication of diverse feelings and orientations within the membership, stressing that it is now the presidium’s role to unify these viewpoints and embrace “holistic liberalism”.
Furthermore, the 68-year-old was surprised that her speech at the convention was perceived as being “left-liberal”. Strack-Zimmermann challenged this labeling, saying that if her platform was framed as left-liberal, it demonstrated how significantly the center has shifted. She clarified that if she was positioned to the left of the party’s ideological hardliner, she was simply standing in the middle, not on the liberal left.
