The FDP ends its three-day party conference on Sunday.
Several resolutions cause a stir - even a Baerbock advance is countered.
The news ticker.
At its digital party congress, the FDP * confirmed Christian Lindner as party leader.
On Saturday, a decision on the radio broadcast caused a sensation, while the party had to withdraw a decision on drug policy on Sunday.
The FDP speaks out clearly against a ban on short-haul flights and thus counteracts a Baerbock advance (
update from May 16, 2:04 p.m.
).
All news in the ticker.
Update from May 16, 10:25 p.m.:
On the weekend of their party congress, the FDP countered a climate plan by Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock * with clear words (see update from 2:04 p.m.) - but the liberals' climate protection ideas also come into play the competition to criticism.
"I keep thinking about what that could mean in
concrete
terms
: market-centered climate protection," tweeted the Green MP Konstantin von Notz, with a view to a party conference decision by the FDP.
The former Left Party leader Bernd Riexinger hit in the same line: “The FDP does not want any government guidelines for climate protection.
It relies entirely on the 'invisible hand of the market', ”he explained in a tweet.
“Invisible” is “also the right word for the FDP's demands on climate protection”.
In terms of climate protection, the election program provides for “a strict CO2 limit” which is to be achieved through “a comprehensive emissions trading system”.
The FDP largely rejects state requirements for achieving climate targets.
Rather, the way to achieve the national climate protection requirements should be left to "the inventive spirit" of engineers and scientists.
Update from May 16, 5.45 p.m.:
The FDP party congress has clearly declared its friendship with Israel and called for committed action against anti-Semitism.
"Politicians and security authorities must take the specific endangerment of Jewish life seriously and oppose it resolutely," says a proposal from the federal executive committee, which the party congress decided on Sunday with 95 percent approval.
“There must be no tolerance for any form of anti-Semitism,” it continues.
"We Free Democrats demand decisive action against all forms of anti-Semitism and an effective protection of synagogues and other Jewish institutions." Germany must counter anti-Semitism "with all means of the democratic constitutional state".
Regarding the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, the paper says, "The terrorist rocket attacks by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PID) on Israel are shaking us."
For the FDP it is clear that "Israel can and may make use of its right to self-defense when rockets hit residential buildings and the security of its own population is in danger".
FDP countered Baerbock's push directly: “Ban fetish” of the Greens
Update from May 16, 2:04 p.m.:
At its party congress, the FDP spoke out clearly against the general abolition of cheap or short-haul flights.
In doing so, the party countered a move by Green candidate Annalena Baerbock.
"We
do not want any micro-management of daily life by Ms. Baerbock," said FDP parliamentary director Marco Buschmann of the
Saarbrückener Zeitung
.
The Baerbock initiative is an example of the Greens' “prohibition fetish”, Feldmann continued.
The FDP has other ideas to achieve the climate goals: “It would be better to put a tight cap on CO2 emissions for Germany in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
How they are then used, we can leave supply and demand, ”says Buschmann.
"Complete release of all drugs": Vortex over decision at FDP party congress - Liberals row back
First report from May 16:
Berlin - Since Friday, the FDP has also been advising on its program for the 2021 federal election. * At the three-day digital party congress of the Liberals, Christian Lindner was confirmed as party leader with 93 percent of the votes.
Further resolutions followed on Saturday, which caused displeasure, especially among the public broadcasters.
The party congress continued on Sunday - with a furious decision on liberal drug policy.
The German Association of Journalists describes the FDP's decision on public broadcasting 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.
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? "
FDP party congress: Liberals cause displeasure among public broadcasters
Harsh criticism of the decision that the FDP made on Saturday evening. The party had agreed to go into the Bundestag election campaign by calling for a curtailment of public broadcasting and a lowering of the license fee. What is needed is an “order and structural reform” is what the amendment for the FDP election program, which was adopted on Saturday, said. “We Free Democrats want a more modern and leaner public service broadcaster (ÖRR), which should primarily focus on news, culture, political education and documentaries. With this we want to lower the broadcasting fee ”, it continues.
The next eddy immediately followed.
A decision on drug policy was also passed on Saturday and a surprisingly clear majority voted for the decriminalization of all drugs.
However, under pressure from the party leadership, this decision was reversed.
Decriminalize all drugs?
FDP causes a sensation at the party congress
If in the future everyone could consume any drug with impunity, "then we will have a huge problem in shaping our future viability," warned party vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki.
FDP leader Christian Lindner * and General Secretary Volker Wissing also campaigned for the decision to be deleted.
Apparently, many delegates were unaware of the implications of their decision to liberalize drugs.
Their vote was based on a motion by the FDP district chairman of Berlin-Marzahn, Roman-Francesco Rogat.
It called for a “liberal drug policy based on the Portuguese model”, which relies on “more prevention instead of punishment”.
However, this “Portuguese model” was not explained in more detail in the application.
FDP withdraws drug decision
The party congress resolution, with which this demand was initially officially included in the election manifesto of the FDP, triggered the alarm among the party leaders.
"The Portuguese model means nothing more than the complete release of all drugs," said party vice-president Kubicki.
"This is something that the Free Democrats cannot approve of in any way."
Party leader Lindner justified his support for the withdrawal of the resolution by saying that opponents of the drug application could not have spoken in the digital debate due to technical problems.
The decision to liberalize drug policy was finally withdrawn by the party congress with 58 percent of the vote. One delegate admitted in the previous debate: “Most of them didn't really know what was being decided.” However, other delegates sharply criticized the fact that a decision that had already been made would be abandoned after the party leadership intervened. "The decision that this party congress made five minutes ago should still apply after five minutes," said the former head of the Young Liberals, Lasse Becker.
(dpa / afp / rjs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
