Former Deputy Chairwoman of the FDP, Katja Suding, has expressed her support for Wolfgang Kubicki’s bid for the FDP chairmanship. Speaking to the Funke Media Group’s newspapers on Wednesday, Suding stated, “Freedom requires people who stand up for it”. She added that “Wolfgang Kubicki does this with great passion, and for that, I have great respect”. She conveyed her wishes for him to receive a strong team and considerable support. As a long-time FDP member, she plans to continue monitoring the developments with “affection and keen interest”. Suding stepped down from active federal politics in 2021.
Kubicki intends to contest the chairmanship at the FDP party conference in May, succeeding Christian Dürr. He stated that his personnel plans include several notable women. According to Kubicki’s comments to “Bild” former Member of the Bundestag Linda Teuteberg is expected to play a role, and he also wishes to bring Katja Suding back into the fold. Furthermore, he expressed hopes that Maria Westphal from Cologne and Susanne Seehofer, the daughter of former CSU chief Horst Seehofer, will help shape the FDP’s image in the coming years.
The upcoming party conference suggests a contest: Henning Höne, the party and parliamentary group chairman from North Rhine-Westphalia, reaffirmed on Easter Sunday that he also intends to run for the leadership.
