Elections · Neumünster
Schleswig-Holstein FDP elects Christopher Vogt as lead candidate for 2027 state vote, targets double-digit result
With 186 of 200 delegate votes, the Free Democrats in Schleswig-Holstein picked state chairman Christopher Vogt to lead the party into the April 2027 Landtag election, calling for a national comeback after recent defeats.
In brief
Christopher Vogt was elected lead candidate with 186 of 200 delegate votes; no opposing candidate stood.
The party aims to improve on the 6.4 percent it achieved in 2022 and break into double digits.
Wolfgang Kubicki’s decision to run for federal FDP chairman at Easter has revitalised the state branch, officials say.
Heiner Garg, Annabell Krämer and Anne Riecke occupy the next three places on the party list; competitive races expected from place five.
A clear mandate for Vogt
At a party conference in Neumünster, 42-year-old Christopher Vogt secured 93 percent of the delegate vote (186 out of 200) to become Spitzenkandidat of the FDP Schleswig-Holstein. Vogt, a state parliament member since 2009, has led the regional FDP faction since 2017 and became state party chairman in 2024. His nomination had no opponent.
“We want not only to enter the Landtag with a strong result, we want, when it fits, to take government responsibility again.”
Vogt pointed to Wolfgang Kubicki's decision at Easter to run for federal chairman as a morale boost.
“The FDP lives, it is extremely lively.”
Electoral targets and government ambition
The party intends to improve significantly on its 6.4 percent from the 2022 Landtag election, when it last cleared the five-percent threshold.
“We want to improve that. We want to get back towards double digits.”
List composition and campaign outlook
The party list was set at the Neumünster gathering, well ahead of the 18 April 2027 election date. Former health minister Heiner Garg was placed second, followed by deputy Landtag president Annabell Krämer and lawmaker Anne Riecke. Contested candidacies are expected from position five onward.
Vogt named education, economic policy, and healthcare provision as key campaign issues. Liberal core themes such as civil-rights protection remain central, he added. The FDP enters the campaign seeking to reverse a series of setbacks across Germany, positioning the state contest as the launchpad for a wider party recovery.