Christian Lindner, the head of Germany’s neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), has been described as a speed junkie. Certainly, he seems like a man in a hurry in his quest for power.
That much was abundantly clear when thethree parties currently aiming to form Germany’s first post-Merkel government— Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Lindner’s “liberals” — emerged from explanatory talks and Lindner showed off his talent for sound-bite hyperbole, talking of a “watershed” and a “fresh start” for Germany.
Indeed, the negotiating teams have set the ambitious target of forming a new government under the leadership of Olaf Scholz (SPD) by the beginning of December. And the drive to get the job done, and get it done quickly, bears all the hallmarks of a politician who has often been the first and the fastest.
The fast lane
Christian Lindner was just sixteen when he joined the Free Democrats in 1985. Within a year, he was the leader of the association of FDP high-school students in his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). He then became the youngest member ever of the NRW state assembly. He was still only twenty-one. It was around this time that the youthful Lindner picked up the nickname “Bambi” — a reference to the shy young deer in the classic Disney movie with the same name.
Meanwhile, he studied politics at Bonn University and became a reserve officer in the German air force. He became a member of Germany’s national parliament, the Bundestag, in 2009. In that year he also took on the key role of FDP Secretary-General: the party’s enforcer. And, at the ripe old age of only 34, he was voted in as party leader.
In 2009 Christian Lindner (l) was the protege of late party chairman Guido Westerwelle
His rise to power was facilitated by the FDP dipping below the 5% threshold in the 2013 national election, losing representation in parliament for the first time in its history. A potentially disastrous development that meant the FDP faced the disgrace of irrelevance. An ignominy for a man who desperately wanted to make it to the top as quickly as possible. A man who appreciates speed and liked to be seen at the wheel of his high-speed Porsche racer.
One FDP party stalwart Gerhart Baum (a “true liberal” in the eyes of many of those skeptical about Lindner’s motives) has closely followed Christian Lindner’s political career, concluding: “He’s one of the most talented young politicians in Germany. And he has a remarkable capacity to shed light on complex issues.” However, he cautioned: Lindner would sometimes also lose his “liberal compass.” For instance, Baum said: “When he opposed Angela Merkel’s decision that Germany should take in hundreds of thousands of refugees in 2015.”
Lindner was critical of Angela Merkel’s refugee policy in 2o15
Lindner was quick to weigh his options
This September’s Bundestag election changed Germany’s political landscape. And while some ranking Free Democrats were still hoping to forge some sort of an alliance with their traditional partners, Angela Merkel’s conservatives (CDU/CSU), Christian Lindner was already opening up lines of communication to a party that most Free Democrats had long viewed as anathema: the Green Party.
This was classic Lindner, rethinking the balance of power, and quickly understanding that the only way back into government for his FDP would be to construct an unlikely three-way coalition of SPD, Greens, and Free Democrats.Down the decades, the FDP has played the crucial role of kingmaker in other coalition negotiations, helping to create a majority and form several governments, either with the Social Democrats or the Christian Democrats. So, there is a view that it is a natural role for the liberals.
However, in 2017 by contrast, Linder had spectacularly broken off coalition talks, believing the FDP was not getting a fair deal: “It is better not to govern than to govern wrongly,” he pronounced. And faced much criticism for it.
So now he is painfully aware that another such dramatic collapse will almost certainly bring with it his own demise. He might have been given a second chance: there will not be a third.
So, for now, Lindner is happy to reinvent himself as a progressive leader promising to modernize a Germany that many feel has become dangerously set in its ways. Political scientist Frank Decker told DW he believed history was unlikely to repeat itself. “Christian Lindner is damned to government,” he said.
The FDP’s 2021 election campaign again focused entirely on Lindner himself- which was ridiculed by political opponents as an exaggerated one-man-show
One-man show
Flashback: Berlin — it’s the last Saturday before the election and one of Christian Lindner’s last appearances after a long and grueling stint on the campaign trail. Sporting one of his many stylish suits, he appears on the scene and is quickly surrounded by a crowd of young men and women. Especially, young men. They get autographs and are clearly excited about what the FDP stands for.
No surprise, therefore, that the Free Democrats (alongside the Greens) where among the two parties that made big gains among young voters. For many, of course, Christian Lindner is the main attraction. He stands for success. He is social media savvy. He is stylish. He’s conscious of his looks and keeps fit wherever possible — mainly on a rowing machine. He has had a hair transplant. For his supporters, for his fans: he’s cool.
Here is a post Showing Christian Lindner and his partner on vacation — from Lindner’s personal Instagram account.
He used to be married to a journalist. After that ended in divorce, he entered into another relationship with a young journalist. He works hard to keep his private life just that: private. So, many were surprised when, shortly before the election, he gave an interview to one of Germany’s most popular gossip magazines, Bunte, expressing to start a family soon. What’s more, he admitted to being confronted with a “thoroughly feminist perspective” by his second partner. (In contrast to a reported propensity for macho humor.)
As regards the new government, Christian Lindner insists that he is not necessarily interested in getting a ministry of his own. It is a statement that needs to be taken with a very big pinch of salt. He claims that he would just as happily see “one, two or three of our young men or women” at the cabinet table.
Which is significant. After all, in the many years that Christian Lindner has been at the helm of the Free Democrats, there is one thing that he has certainly neglected: promoting women. In party committees, in the Bundestag, among the party grassroots: compared to the Greens, the Social Democrats, and the Left Party, women are drastically under-represented. Party veteran Gerhart Baum does however credit Lindner with working hard to overcome the image of the FDP as a one-man show: “He’s increasingly doing what he can to encourage young party members, men, and women. He’s determined to dispel the impression that the FDP is a one-man party.”
Truth be told: during the election campaign, Christian Lindner left little room for doubt where he sees himself. His mantra: “I want to be finance minister.” It is a tall order for a politician with no background in business or finance and someone who has never run a government ministry.
Green Party co-chair and Christian Lindner are said to be competing for the Finance Ministry
Political scientist Frank Decker says that is easy to understand why Christian Lindner would take such a risk: “The finance ministry is,” he explains, the most important position in the government after the chancellery. It has an across-the-board influence on purse strings. And it’s the ideal place for the FDP to deploy its specialist capacities in fields like economic and fiscal policy.” There is still a way to go in the coalition talks. And plenty of wrangling lies ahead.
This article has been translated from German.
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Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/christian-lindner-the-fdp-s-clever-tactician/a-59627580?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf