Fellbach (dpa / lsw) - Many supporters, but not enough: At its party conference on Thursday in Fellbach (Rems-Murr-Kreis), the Southwest FDP rejected an amendment to the statutes that would have enabled the election of dual leaders within the party. The motion by the district association of Stuttgart did not achieve the necessary two-thirds majority, although many of the delegates voted in favor. "The debate about the optimal organizational structure will continue to occupy us as a party at all levels - as a state association, we see ourselves as drivers of modernization within the FDP," said state leader Michael Theurer.

FDP faction leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke spoke out against a dual leadership. There is a risk that opposites would be perceived in public, he told the dpa. It is better to form a team and distribute the tasks.