Wednesday, May 23th, 2018
University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, KOH-B-10

Christian Lindner

Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) faction in the German Bundestag

On the current political situation in Germany

On 24 September 2017, the Free Democrats (FDP) managed to make it back into the German Bundestag. The comeback provides an encouraging message for Germany: After a failure it’s possible to make a fresh start. The FDP, represented by the colour yellow, abandoned discussions for a so-called ‘Jamaica coalition’ with the Union (traditionally black) and the Greens when it became clear that the result would have been nothing more than extension of the previous Grand Coalition with a lick of green paint. The Free Democrats now fight for trend changes from the centre of the parliament: Their goals are the best education possible, digitalisation as an opportunity, self-determination instead of bureaucracy, a prudent migration policy, and commitment to Europe.

Curriculum vitae

Christian Lindner, born in 1978, is the party chairman of the Free Democrats and the leader of the parliamentary group in the German Bundestag. In December 2013, Christian Lindner was elected chairman of the Free Democrats. At the federal elections in September 2017, he led the FDP back into the German Bundestag after four years of opposition outside the parliament. Christian Lindner has been a member of the FDP since 1995. In 2000 he was elected for the first time as a deputy to the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament. From 2012 to 2017, he was chairman of the FDP group in the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament.

Stream MP4, 261 MB, in German (Download: Right click and “Save As…”)