Wolfgang Kubicki elected new FDP federal chairman with 59% of delegate votes
Wolfgang Kubicki was elected new federal chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) at a party congress in Berlin on Saturday, receiving 390 of 649 delegate votes (59%). He defeated Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who had announced a surprise candidacy on the convention floor and received 259 votes. Kubicki succeeds Christian Dürr, who resigned after the party lost all seats in the Bundestag and suffered further electoral defeats.
Wolfgang Kubicki was elected the new federal chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) on Saturday, receiving 390 of 649 delegate votes (59%) at a party congress in Berlin. He defeated Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who received 259 votes after announcing a surprise candidacy on the convention floor.
Kubicki, 74, succeeds Christian Dürr, who resigned after the FDP lost its Bundestag representation and failed to re-enter state parliaments in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. Kubicki had previously served as deputy federal chairman. He joined the FDP in 1971 and served as Vice President of the Bundestag from 2017 to 2025.
Strack-Zimmermann, 68, was nominated by 33 delegates, meeting the quorum for a spontaneous candidacy under FDP party rules. She has been a member of the European Parliament since 2024 and chairs its Security and Defence Committee. "Wir predigen Meinungsfreiheit – fordern aber intern Meinungsgleichheit" ("We preach freedom of opinion – but internally demand uniformity of opinion"), she told delegates. Kubicki said of their contest: "dass die beiden alten Schlachtrösser jetzt ins Geschirr gehen" ("that the two old warhorses are now getting into harness").
The next federal election is expected in 2029. Upcoming state elections in September 2026 include Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin. In April 2027, state elections are due in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia. The FDP is currently represented in only 6 of 16 state parliaments and participates in one state government, in Saxony-Anhalt.