Wolfgang Kubicki, the candidate for the FDP chairmanship, announced that he intends to step back from active politics should he lose the chairmanship election at the party congress. Speaking to T-Online, Kubicki stated, “If the party does not elect me, I accept that. I will truly retire into political retirement, drink a glass of wine, and observe the party’s development calmly”.
However, should he win, he expressed a desire for his opponent, Henning Höne, to maintain a significant role within the party. Kubicki argued that “a Henning Höne with a strong result from the state elections is an established figure in the party” adding that he wishes Höne to remain as Deputy Chairman, “as he holds an important function” even if Kubicki were to lose the chairmanship-a possibility he downplayed to keep the tone cordial.
On the issue of the party’s direction and his own political alignment, Kubicki affirmed his commitment as a social liberal. He expressed disappointment with the current state of the German SPD, stating that the “social democrats of historical importance, those to the category of Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, Sigmar Gabriel, including Gerhard Schröder, simply no longer exist”. Kubicki affirmed that his primary objective remains raising the FDP’s polling rate to 10 percent or higher, arguing that “anything less than ten percent would be extremely unambitious” noting that previous cycles in 2017 and 2021 proved this goal achievable.
Finally, Kubicki indicated that he views governmental participation as entirely plausible if the FDP successfully returns to the Bundestag. According to him, a party like the FDP must possess not only a strong presence in parliament but also the political will to implement its ideas. Potential cooperation partners, he suggested, could include a reformed Christian Union, as well as an SPD that demonstrates a capacity for progress and “regains pride in the country”.