New hope: Finn Ole Ritter should stabilize FDP in Hamburg

New hope: Finn Ole Ritter should stabilize FDP in Hamburg

The Hamburg FDP chose a new chairman at its last state party conference to regain stability after the latest election defeats. Finn Ole Ritter, the leader of the Liberals in the Wandsbek district assembly, was elected as the new state chairman with 151 out of 170 votes (89 percent). Ritter takes over this position at a time when the party is under great pressure after it only achieved 4.5 percent of the second votes in the Bundestag election in February 2023 and only 2.3 percent in the election of the citizens in March 2023, as Welt reported

The previous chairwoman Sonja Jacobsen announced during her farewell speech that she was aiming for a reorganization of the party. The top candidate Katharina Blume has also signaled that she does not make herself available. In addition to knights, Ria Schröder, Sami Musa and Daniel Oetzel were elected deputy chair. In his first speech, Ritter emphasized the importance of personal responsibility and criticized the increasing interference of the state into the life of citizens.

challenges and perspectives

Despite the new election of the chairman, the situation of the FDP in Hamburg remains tense. Against the background of the Bundestag election and the upcoming citizenship elections, the party has only reached a survey of 3 percent. This was last discussed on February 28, 2025 during an election campaign in the Speicherstadt. There, the deputy FDP federal chairman Wolfgang Kubicki, who expressed hope that the FDP's choice of citizens could breathe new life. However, the survey results show that party approval is still below the 5 percent mark, which underlines the need for quick change, such as Tagesschau reported.

The members of the FDP Hamburg, which count around 2000, are also represented in all seven district meetings by a total of 21 MPs. This shows that despite the difficulties, the party still has a certain range and influence. In her farewell speech, Jacobsen emphasized the importance of the character in times of crisis, which indicates the need that the party has to build on stable and strong management positions in order to regain the trust of voters.

survey values ​​and context

Current surveys show the situation of the FDP in Hamburg. It is currently only 2.3 percent and is therefore one of the lowest values ​​in nationwide comparison, as dawum . Development is alarming, especially in the context of the Bundestag election, where the FDP only achieved 3.6 percent, while on average a value of 3.2 percent has been recorded across all federal states. The party has experienced both growth and losses in different federal states in recent years, with Bremen with 5.1 percent and Hamburg with 2.3 percent.

The coming months will be crucial for the Hamburg FDP to reposition themselves and to meet the challenges of the political front. Finn Ole Ritter at the top is the hope of successfully taking the long way to recruit the voters back and to set important impulses for the future of the liberals in Hamburg.