Lindner sees FDP vote as a mandate for more "liberal profile" in coalition

Lindner sees FDP vote as a mandate for more "liberal profile" in coalition

These points were agreed in the coalition agreement, Kubicki said on Deutschlandfunk radio. "Anyone who no longer wants to make the coalition agreement the basis for joint policy will dissolve this coalition," said the deputy leader. "That must be clear to everyone. We expect the coalition partners to adhere to the agreements."

The vote of the base shows "that we as the FDP must become better and more assertive in the coalition, and we are now working on this," Kubicki added.

In the survey of FDP members, a narrow majority of 52% of participants voted against the party leaving the ruling traffic light coalition. The online survey was initiated by party members who were dissatisfied with their participation in the traffic light coalition. The party leadership had campaigned to remain in the coalition.

Party leader Lindner saw the result as confirmation of the FDP's participation in government. The vote was an "expression of responsibility for Germany", he wrote on the online service X (formerly Twitter).

The sharper profile announced by the FDP leadership is unlikely to make cooperation in the "traffic light" any easier. There could be new conflicts with the Greens in particular - Kubicki hinted at this in the radio interview. "We will document that there are good creative approaches in climate policy, as well as in economic and financial policy, which differ from the distribution mechanism of the Greens."

In reaction to the result of the vote, FDP parliamentary group deputy leader Konstantin Kuhle self-critically pointed out deficits in the communication of the "traffic light". Especially when it comes to implementing the upcoming reforms in the areas of migration and social policy, he expects the government to "exude the necessary calm and leadership needed to make such difficult decisions", said Kuhle on the Phoenix channel.

FDP board member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann saw the narrow result of the member survey as an incentive for her party. Strack-Zimmermann told the Düsseldorfer "Rheinische Post" on Tuesday: "The result shows us that the members are of the opinion that we should implement and enforce even more free democratic policies."

The deadline for taking part in the online survey, which was launched two weeks ago, ended on Monday afternoon. The question was: "Should the FDP end the coalition with the SPD and Greens as part of the federal government?" Members were able to answer yes or no. The FDP's constitution stipulates that 500 signatures from members are sufficient to hold a non-binding survey among the party's 72,000 members.

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1. Christian Lindner, the leader of the FDP, interprets the party's vote as a mandate for a more "liberal profile" within the coalition agreement.
2. Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy leader of the FDP, underscored on Deutschlandfunk radio that adherence to the coalition agreements is crucial.
3. The online survey among FDP members revealed that a majority of 52% voted in favor of the party maintaining its role in the traffic light coalition.
4. According to Lindner, the FDP's vote is an "expression of responsibility for Germany," emphasizing the party's participation in government.
5. The FDP's sharper profile, as announced by the leadership, may make cooperation within the traffic light coalition more challenging, particularly with the Greens.
6. Kuhle, an FDP parliamentary group deputy leader, self-critically mentioned the need for better communication in implementing the upcoming reforms.
7. Strack-Zimmermann, an FDP board member, viewed the narrow result of the member survey as a call to action for her party to promote more free democratic policies.
8. The deadline for the online survey, which aimed to gauge support for the FDP leaving the coalition, concluded on Monday afternoon.
9. In the survey, members had the option to answer "yes" or "no" to the question of whether the FDP should leave the collaboration with the SPD and Greens in the federal government.
10. The decision made by the FDP members will undoubtedly have an impact on the strength and direction of the traffic light coalition in Germany.

Source: www.stern.de