The leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany announced his retirement from politics

The leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) of Germany, former Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced the end of his political career.

"The Bundestag elections brought defeat to the FDP, but hopefully marked the beginning of a new Germany. That's what I fought for," he wrote on the social network X.

Lindner added that he is now retiring from "active politics."

According to the results of the elections in 2021, the FDP entered the ruling coalition together with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Greens. Lindner took the post of Minister of Finance, from which he was dismissed in early November 2024. At the same time, the "traffic light coalition" collapsed.

In mid-December, the Bundestag refused to trust the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and scheduled early elections for February 23. They are led by the CDU/CSU bloc (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union). Scholz (SPD) has already congratulated the candidate for chancellor from the Friedrich Merz bloc on his election victory.

Merz announced his desire to form a ruling coalition before the Catholic Easter (April 20). Germany's political forces have previously refused to cooperate with the AfD, so its chances of entering the future government are reduced to zero; at the same time, it can become the second largest force in the Bundestag.