Despite the candidacy of the FDP’s Deputy Chair, Wolfgang Kubicki, for the leadership of the Liberals, North Rhine-Westphalia’s state chairman, Henning Höne, remains committed to his own bid. In an interview with WDR, Höne stated that he is not running against any specific individual, but rather for the federal chairmanship of the Free Democrats. He argued that the FDP urgently requires a new start, something that has not been achieved since the “traffic light” coalition government, and that new faces are an intrinsic part of any credible fresh start, which is central to his proposal.
Höne tried to downplay the idea of a power struggle, saying, “I think we have to be careful not to always speak of an election among parties when, in reality, only one person is standing, and immediately invoking power struggles or contested candidacies as soon as options exist”. He suggested that it is fundamentally natural in a democracy for voters, and delegates at party conventions, to have a choice when they vote.
When asked whether Kubicki possesses an advantage due to his extensive experience and large network, Höne responded, “Experience is an aspect, but it is not the only one”. Furthermore, he believes that if the party needs a fresh start after an election defeat at the federal level, it should dare to attempt a truly significant change. He concluded by suggesting, “No one is born significant; that is built by all the recognizable faces in politics today”.