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FDP leader Christian Lindner on Sunday at the digital party conference in Berlin: re-elected with 93 percent
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
The youngsters had advertised it before the party congress and submitted a proposal: The Young Liberals (Julis) wanted the FDP to commit to »Liberal Feminism«.
A concept that Maren Jasper-Winter, co-organizer of a women's network in the party, had campaigned for.
For the 44-year-old, the digital party conference in Berlin could not have gone better. Although not on site - only the closer party leadership was in the hall - the parliamentarian in the Berlin House of Representatives was not only elected to the federal executive committee of the FDP for the first time. The July passage on »Liberal Feminism«, which she supported, was also included in the program for the Bundestag election without further advice (read the details here).
For the women in the FDP, whose share is only one fifth, the committee elections were overall successful. In the board elections, the FDP women were able to fill 13 of 34 positions, which corresponds to a share of around 38 percent. This means that the women were only just below the 40 percent proportion of women they had calculated before the party congress, which was targeted if all applicants were successful (details here). In turn, three women are represented in the nine-person presidium: Lydia Hüskens, Nicola Beer and Bettina Stark-Watzinger.
After the elections at the beginning of the party congress on Friday, at which Christian Lindner achieved his best result so far as chairman with 93 percent, the election program continued on Saturday and Sunday.
It should be passed on Sunday.
Around 540 amendments were tabled.
660 delegates are digitally connected to the hall in Berlin-Kreuzberg due to the corona restrictions.
This delays the course of the party congress, so that the program is not expected to be passed until later in the afternoon.
Controversial decision on public broadcasting
However, central points had already been adopted by Sunday afternoon:
The FDP moves into the election campaign with demands for a strengthening of the market economy and a restructuring of state finances.
In order to join a coalition after the federal election, General Secretary Volker Wissing made the waiver of tax increases and a return to the debt brake a condition on Saturday.
The liberals are counting on a comprehensive modernization of Germany.
For too long the federal government has pursued a policy "that has made our state fed up and sluggish, instead of lean and strong," says the preamble adopted by the party congress.
"We stand for election so that our country is better off: with more individual freedom and personal responsibility, with a more social market economy and comprehensive sustainability."
The program also includes the demand for a curtailment of public broadcasting and a reduction in the broadcasting fee. "Public service broadcasting needs order and structural reform," says an amendment to the election manifesto that the party congress accepted with a narrow majority on Saturday evening. »We Free Democrats want a more modern and leaner public service broadcaster (ÖRR), which should primarily focus on news, culture, political education and documentaries. We want to lower the license fee. «Wissing had appealed to the delegates in vain to reject the application. It was accepted by 185 votes to 179. It goes on to say: “The number of television and radio channels operated by the broadcasters must be reduced.Parallel offers that are not required are to be avoided. "
The election program now also states that public broadcasting on the Internet should be limited to areas that are comparable to, or are directly related to, traditional broadcasting. A functioning dual media system needs balance. The proportionality between the broadcasting fee and competition must be preserved. »Competition with every internet offer of private press and media houses is not the job of the ÖRR. We want to strengthen media diversity and diversity of opinion. "
This decision sparked sharp criticism from the German Association of Journalists, who described it as a "populist contribution to an emotionally heated debate".
"A reduction of public service broadcasting to a niche offer is unconstitutional," said the DJV federal chairman Frank Überall on Sunday.
The FDP take a seat on the bench of the radio opponents from AfD and parts of the Union.
In addition, broadcasting policy is based on the federal states.
“The Bundestag is not responsible.
So what, dear FDP, is the decision in the federal election program supposed to be?
Further coordination on the EU and climate protection
On Sunday, the program chapters on climate protection, the future of the EU and foreign and social policy will be discussed.
At the end of the three-day digital party conference, a closing speech by General Secretary Volker Wissing is also on the program.
On Sunday morning, the delegates rejected a motion to delete the demand for a term limit for the Federal Chancellor from the program.
Thus, the fact remains that the Liberals want to see future Chancellors in office for a maximum of two full terms or ten years.
The legislative period is to be extended from four to five years.
A more detailed debate took place on Saturday evening. Proponents of a more liberal drug policy modeled on Portugal - including July boss Jens Teutrine - failed after an intervention by the party leadership. An amendment to the election manifesto with the aim of focusing on prevention rather than punishment based on the "Portuguese model" was initially accepted with 61 percent of the vote.
Proponents of the Portuguese model referred to the successes of drug policy in the southern European country, which has the lowest number of drug deaths in the EU in terms of population.
Opponents of the proposal stated that if the FDP wanted to make possession of 10 daily doses of hard drugs possible for Germany as well, that would make the demand for a liberal drug policy altogether vulnerable.
Finally, after an intervention by the party leadership, it was decided with 58 percent of the vote to delete the passage previously written into the election manifesto.
sev / dpa
