After the Liberal Party’s collapse in Rhineland‑Palatinate, FDP Vice‑Chairman Wolfgang Kubicki said he would stand firmly behind the current chairman, Christian Dürr, and he is not shy about holding former party “hopefuls” to account.
Kubicki told the magazine “Stern” on Monday that Dürr had been elected for a two‑year term with an overwhelming majority ten months ago. He has no immediate ambitions for the party chairmanship, adding: “I rule out nothing and see myself as fit for many roles, from President of the Federal Republic to a DAX‑CEO, but that question isn’t on the agenda right now. If there were a party election, it would need to prepare other candidates”.
While the party boasts two nationally recognised figures-Dürr and Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann-it is clear, Kubicki admits, that they cannot biologically deliver a breakthrough for the next two decades. His goal is to strengthen other prominent individuals until they can “penetrate the public eye”.
At 74, Kubicki warned the Liberals of a lack of loyalty in the present situation. “We are on the ground” he said, “and the starting point is more bitter than it was in 2013”.
He was equally critical of former young stars. When asked whether he was disappointed that Johannes Vogel and Konstantin Kuhle, representatives of the next generation, had withdrawn from professional life, Kubicki said it was correct that they wanted to earn money. “One should first succeed in ordinary work before entering the Bundestag. But those who once took a large stage at party meetings and wanted to shape the FDP’s direction, who now completely give up, say more about themselves than about those who keep fighting”.
