Daniela Schmitt Steps Up as FDP's Rhineland-Palatinate State Chairwoman Contender
- Candidacy of Daniela Schmitt for the Position of FDP Leader
Ready to shake things up, the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Economy and Transport, Daniela Schmitt, has thrown her hat in the ring for the FDP's state chairmanship position. With her announcement, she aims to become the successor to Volker Wissing.
The election will unfold on April 5 at the state party conference in historic Mainz. Current reports indicate that Schmitt will be competing unopposed for the role. If elected, she would make history by being the first woman to hold the position since 1948.
"My pledge to the delegates and fellow liberals is unequivocal," Schmitt stated to the German Press Agency. "I plan to embody the breadth of Rhineland-Palatinate liberalism in a unified team and build upon the FDP's successful record in the state."
Encouraged by her party comrades
Schmitt confirmed her bid for the position in a statement, alluding to media reports. "I've been spurred on by numerous party friends in recent weeks and months, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback of late has solidified my resolve in taking this step," she expressed.
Schmitt was once Wissing's right-hand woman
Following the 2021 state election, Schmitt served as the FDP's parliamentary group leader. She later took on the role of Minister of Transport and Economy, positions that Wissing held from May 2016 to May 2021. In the past, Schmitt even served as Wissing's state secretary. Fernis, the former Minister of Justice, took her place as parliamentary group leader afterwards.
Wissing led the FDP in Rhineland-Palatinate from 2011 to 2024, which includes his time as a federal minister. After the dissolution of the traffic light coalition in November 2024, he left the party and gave up his post as state chairman.
- Daniela Schmitt
- FDP
- Volker Wissing
- Mainz
- Woman
(Enrichment: Daniela Schmitt has been active in politics for several years, serving as an influential figure within the FDP in Rhineland-Palatinate. Although she did not initially seek the position, her colleagues and party members have encouraged her to run for the state chairmanship.)
- The Commission is expected to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, given Daniela Schmitt's extensive experience in this area, as she served as Volker Wissing's state secretary when he held numerous positions within the FDP in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- If confirmed as the chairwoman of the FDP, Daniela Schmitt will aim to make history by becoming the first woman to hold the position since 1948, a role she previously held as Volker Wissing's right-hand woman following the 2021 state election.
- The FDP's state party conference, where Daniela Schmitt plans to become the unopposed successor to Volker Wissing, will take place on April 5 in the historic city of Mainz.
