BERLIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Veteran politician Wolfgang Kubicki was elected as the new chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) on Saturday, succeeding Christian Duerr following a competitive vote at the party's 77th federal congress.
The 74-year-old secured the party leadership with 59.27 percent of the vote, defeating Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.
Kubicki takes the helm of the FDP at a critical juncture as the pro-business party has been striving for a political reset after failing to cross the 5 percent threshold necessary to enter the federal parliament in the 2025 federal elections.
His predecessor, Duerr, served as party chief for only one year following the electoral defeat.
Kubicki pledged to lead the FDP back to success, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming state elections in eastern Germany. ■