Henning Höne, the leader of the FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), has received a boost of support from his local party chapter during the state party convention held in Duisburg on Saturday. He successfully secured re-election as the State Chairman of the FDP NRW with a vote tally of approximately 85 percent of the delegate votes-a result considered very positive for his tenure. This marks a notable improvement from his 79% approval rating in 2024, and even more so from the 54% he received in 2023, the latter count being without any opposition candidates. Speaking at the event, Höne emphasized a shared objective: achieving a comeback for North Rhine-Westphalia, citing the need to challenge “the bloated state” in order to revitalize economic growth.
Several other key roles were reaffirmed at the gathering. Frank Schäffler was re-elected as a Deputy State Chairman with 65% support, joining Katrin Helling-Plahr, who secured 74% of the votes for the same post. Alexander Steffen from Ratingen was named the new Deputy State Chairman, receiving 71% approval. Furthermore, Moritz Körner was confirmed to remain the General Secretary of the Free Democrats in North Rhine-Westphalia, achieving 77% support. Looking ahead, Höne has expressed his ambition to be selected as the candidate for Deputy Party Chairman at the federal party conference slated for the end of May. Current estimates suggest this will lead to a competitive election contest against Wolfgang Kubicki.