Volker Wissing, the former Federal Transport Minister and former FDP general secretary, has made it clear that he no longer supports the current direction of his party. In an interview with Politico he said that the FDP has taken a series of decisions that could have been made differently, and that it now has to face a “voter vote”. He added that his disagreement with the party’s core choices had “not gone unnoticed”.
Wissing ruled out a return to the party’s top leadership. When asked if he would assume control of the FDP, he replied that he is no longer a member and that he “did not share responsibility for the recent decisions or the ideological direction” taken by the party. He placed the blame on those who “have steered the FDP in that way” saying, “That is not my business”. Instead, he believes the voters ultimately decide the party’s future, and he still sees space for liberal politics, noting that “there is a great need for liberalism”.
Regarding the situation in Rheinland‑Pfalz, Wissing expressed regret over the collapse of Berlin’s “traffic‑light” coalition. He described it as a “very bad signal” that centre‑democratic parties can no longer negotiate compromises with one another. He praised the SPD’s Spitzenkandidat in Rhineland‑Pfalz, Alexander Schweizer, calling him an “integrated personality” with “enormous political experience”.