German Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner has announced that he will step down from politics if his party fails to enter the German Bundestag in the upcoming elections. In a Sunday evening ARD roundtable with the leading candidates of the participating parties, Lindner stated, “If the FDP is to exit the Bundestag, it is clear that I too will exit politics.”
Lindner also expressed realism, acknowledging the possibility of the FDP’s complete reorganization in terms of content and personnel in the event of a poor election outcome. “If my political career ends tomorrow, I will depart with a sense of only one thing: gratitude, great gratitude” he said.
Lindner attributed the FDP’s potential failure to its inability to convey the party’s achievements, particularly those reached during the coalition government. He also mentioned the party’s struggle to effectively explain the end of the coalition, which is now reflected in the harsh vote losses. According to current polls and projections, the FDP is expected to receive between 4.7 and 5.0 percent of the vote.