Leader of the Free Democratic Party (Germany)
| Chairman of the Free Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
| Vorsitzender der Freien Demokratischen Partei | |
 | |
.svg.png) | |
 | |
| Type | Chairman of a party |
| Member of | Federal Executive Presidium |
| Formation | 12 December 1948 |
| First holder | Theodor Heuss |
| Deputy | Deputy Chairperson: Wolfgang Kubicki Nicola Beer Johannes Vogel |
The Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (German: Vorsitzender der Freien Demokratischen Partei) is the most senior and leading political figure within the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a centre-right and liberal political party in Germany with parliamentary representation. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is, historically, also one of the most significant political parties in Germany. From 6 December 2013 to 23 February 2025, the office was held by Christian Lindner, who succeeded Philipp Rösler.[1]
The Leader of the Free Democratic Party is supported by a General Secretary who, from December 2024 to February 2025, was Marco Buschmann.
List
- Chairmen of the Free Democratic Party
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | Term of office | Faction | State | Chancellor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Days | ||||||
| 1 |  | Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) | 12 December 1948 | 12 September 1949 | 274 days | Social liberal faction[2] |  Baden-Württemberg | None Konrad Adenauer |
| 2 |  | Franz Blücher (1896–1959) | 12 September 1949 | 6 March 1954 | 4 years, 175 days | None |  North Rhine-Westphalia | Konrad Adenauer |
| 3 | .jpg) | Thomas Dehler (1897–1967) | 6 March 1954 | 26 January 1957 | 2 years, 326 days | Determined liberal faction | .svg.png){kind=small} Bavaria | Konrad Adenauer |
| 4 |  | Reinhold Maier (1889–1971) | 26 January 1957 | 28 January 1960 | 3 years, 2 days | Determined liberal faction | Baden-Württemberg | Konrad Adenauer |
| 5 |  | Erich Mende (1916–1998) | 28 January 1960 | 30 January 1968 | 8 years, 2 days | National liberal faction[3] | North Rhine-Westphalia | Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
| 6 |  | Walter Scheel (1919–2016) | 30 January 1968 | 1 October 1974 | 6 years, 244 days | Social liberal and eco-liberal faction[4] | North Rhine-Westphalia | Kurt Georg Kiesinger Willy Brandt Himself (acting) Helmut Schmidt |
| 7 |  | Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016) | 1 October 1974 | 23 February 1985 | 10 years, 145 days | Compromise classical liberal faction | North Rhine-Westphalia | Helmut Schmidt Helmut Kohl |
| 8 |  | Martin Bangemann (1934–2022) | 23 February 1985 | 8 October 1988 | 3 years, 228 days | None (Social liberal faction) | Baden-Württemberg | Helmut Kohl |
| 9 | .jpg) | Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1926–2009) | 8 October 1988 | 11 June 1993 | 4 years, 246 days | Market liberal and Ordoliberal faction[5] | North Rhine-Westphalia | Helmut Kohl |
| 10 |  | Klaus Kinkel (1936–2019) | 11 June 1993 | 10 June 1995 | 1 year, 364 days | None (Affiliated with the Compromise classical liberal faction) | Baden-Württemberg | Helmut Kohl |
| 11 |  | Wolfgang Gerhardt (1943–2024) | 10 June 1995 | 4 May 2001 | 5 years, 328 days | Economic liberal faction[6] |  Hesse | Helmut Kohl Gerhard Schröder |
| 12 |  | Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016) | 4 May 2001 | 13 May 2011 | 10 years, 9 days | Neoliberal and Anti-Ordoliberal faction[7][8] | North Rhine-Westphalia | Gerhard Schröder Angela Merkel |
| 13 |  | Philipp Rösler (born 1973) | 13 May 2011 | 7 December 2013 | 2 years, 208 days | None |  Lower Saxony | Angela Merkel |
| 14 | _by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%932.jpg) | Christian Lindner (born 1979) | 7 December 2013 | 16 May 2025 | 11 years, 160 days | None | North Rhine-Westphalia | Angela Merkel Olaf Scholz Friedrich Merz |
| 15 | | Christian Dürr (born 1977) | 16 May 2025 | Incumbent | 93 days | None | Lower Saxony | Friedrich Merz |
References
- ^ "Parteitag: Christian Lindner führt die FDP in die Apo". WELT. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Hertfelder, Thomas (2013). Von Naumann zu Heuss: über eine Tradition des sozialen Liberalismus in Deutschland. Kleine Reihe / Stiftung Bundespräsident-Theodor-Heuss-Haus. Stuttgart: Stiftung Bundespräsident-Theodor-Heuss-Haus. ISBN 978-3-942302-03-6.
- ^ "Rücken zur Wand". Der Spiegel. 21 June 1970.
- ^ Peter H. Merkl (1989). The Federal Republic of Germany at Forty: Union Without Unity. NYU Press. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-81-475446-7.
- ^ Andry, Aurélie Dianara (2022). Social Europe, the Road Not Taken: The Left and European Integration in the Long 1970s. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-286709-4.
- ^ "Wolfgang Gerhardt zum 70. Geburtstag". 20 December 2013.
- ^ "The FDP, the Party of Neoliberalism (May 11, 2006)".
- ^ "Die FDP zwischen Neo- und Ordoliberalismus".