Henning Höne, the chair of the FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia and a candidate for the federal FDP chairmanship, sharply criticized CDU leader Friedrich Merz during an interview with ntv on Wednesday. Höne accused Merz of offering a campaign rooted in market economics while now pursuing predominantly social-democratic policy, suggesting this major shift contradicts Merz’s earlier promises and “costs a great deal of trust”.
Höne claimed that within just one year, the popularity of the black-red coalition is lower than the progressive “traffic light” government was immediately before its dissolution. He stated that Merz’s start in the political arena has been remarkably weak, urging the federal leader to display less self-pity and more self-reflection. He emphasized that the nation currently faces significant economic obstacles, which he described as the “biggest construction site” at the moment.
Furthermore, the FDP NRW chair demanded a significant increase in reforms. Höne expressed his frustration that critical reforms are being bogged down and stalled within various commissions. He specifically criticized the planned reform of the Statutory Health Insurance, arguing that it would hike costs for both employees and employers, thereby undermining rather than supporting the current economic recovery.
Regarding his own future, Höne confirmed his intention to run for the FDP party chairmanship at the party’s convention scheduled for the end of May.