Christian Lindner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian Lindner
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Lindner in 2024
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| Minister of Finance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 8 December 2021 – 7 November 2024 |
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| Chancellor | Olaf Scholz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Olaf Scholz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jörg Kukies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Free Democratic Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 7 December 2013 |
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| Deputy | Wolfgang Kubicki Nicola Beer Johannes Vogel |
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| General Secretary |
Nicola Beer Linda Teuteberg Volker Wissing |
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| Preceded by | Philipp Rösler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 October 2017 – 7 December 2021 |
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| Chief Whip | Marco Buschmann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Katja Suding Michael Theurer Stephan Thomae Alexander Graf Lambsdorff Christian Dürr Frank Sitta |
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| Preceded by | Rainer Brüderle (2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Christian Dürr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Free Democratic Party in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 31 May 2012 – 10 October 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Gerhard Papke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Christof Rasche | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Free Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 May 2012 – 27 November 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Daniel Bahr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Joachim Stamp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Secretary of the Free Democratic Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 December 2009 – 14 December 2011 |
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| Leader | Guido Westerwelle Philipp Rösler |
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| Preceded by | Dirk Niebel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Patrick Döring | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Christian Wolfgang Lindner
7 January 1979 Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
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| Political party | Free Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses |
Dagmar Rosenfeld
(m. 2011; div. 2020)Franca Lehfeldt
(m. 2022) |
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| Alma mater | University of Bonn (MA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Germany |
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| Branch/service |  Bundeswehr |
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| Years of service | 2002-present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Major | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | German Air Force Reserve |
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Christian Wolfgang Lindner (born January 7, 1979) is a German politician. He was the Federal Minister of Finance for Germany from 2021 until 2024. He is a leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a role he has held since 2013. Lindner is also a Member of the Bundestag (MdB), which is like being a member of Germany's parliament. He represents the region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Christian Lindner was born in Wuppertal, which was then in West Germany. His father was a teacher of math and computer science.
After finishing high school in 1998, Christian Lindner studied political science at the University of Bonn. He earned a master's degree in 2006. His master's paper was about how taxes work in Germany. He also started working on a PhD, but his political career kept him very busy.
While studying, Lindner became a reserve officer in the German Air Force. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in 2002. Later, he became a Captain in 2011. Today, he holds the rank of Major in the Air Force Reserve.
Starting His Political Journey
Lindner joined the FDP political party in 1995. He quickly became active in the party in his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In May 2000, at just 21 years old, Lindner was elected to the state parliament, called the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. This made him the youngest member ever in that parliament's history.
In the state parliament, he spoke about topics like family and technology. From 2005 to 2009, he was also a vice chairman for his party's group in the parliament. In 2007, he joined the FDP's main leadership team for all of Germany.
In 2009, Lindner became a member of the Bundestag, Germany's national parliament. From 2009 to 2011, he also served as the FDP's General Secretary at the national level. This is a very important role in a political party.
After some changes in the party, Lindner became the leader of the FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2012. Under his leadership, the FDP did much better than expected in the state election. This helped the party regain strength.
Leading the FDP Party
In 2013, the FDP party did not get enough votes to enter the Bundestag. After this, the party's chairman resigned. Christian Lindner was then elected as the new chairman of the FDP.
As chairman, he worked to bring the FDP back into the Bundestag. In 2017, he led his party to a successful election in North Rhine-Westphalia. The FDP joined the state government there. Lindner himself focused on the national election.
His hard work paid off! In September 2017, the FDP won 10.7% of the votes in the national election. This meant they were back in the Bundestag. After this success, Lindner was chosen to lead the FDP group in the Bundestag.
In late 2017, the FDP tried to form a new government with other parties. Lindner was expected to become the Minister of Finance. However, after weeks of talks, the FDP decided to leave the negotiations. This led to a longer process to form a government in Germany.
In 2021, Christian Lindner was re-elected as the FDP's federal chairman. He was also the party's main candidate for the national election that year.
Federal Minister of Finance
After the 2021 national election, the FDP joined a new government with the Social Democrats and the Green Party. This group of parties formed a "traffic light coalition." Christian Lindner was chosen to be the Finance Minister. He officially took office on December 8, 2021.
As Finance Minister, Lindner had many important duties. When other countries announced sanctions against Russia, he said they should target wealthy Russian individuals. He believed those who benefited from Putin should not enjoy their money in Western countries.
In August 2022, Lindner announced plans to improve how Germany fights money laundering. He wanted to create a new office to help stop illegal money activities.
Lindner strongly supported Germany's "debt brake" rule. This rule limits how much new debt the government can take on. He was careful about allowing more government spending.
In July 2024, Lindner suggested that Germany might need to reduce its financial aid to Ukraine. He later said that future aid could come from frozen funds of the Russian Central Bank. This caused some discussion within the government.
On November 6, 2024, the German Chancellor proposed to remove Lindner from his position. The next day, he was officially dismissed as Finance Minister. This event led to the end of the ruling coalition government.
Other Activities
Christian Lindner is involved in many other organizations.
- He is a member of the Board of Governors for several international financial groups. These include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- He is also on the Board of Supervisory Directors for KfW, a German state-owned development bank.
- Lindner is a member of the Business Advisory Board for the famous German football club Borussia Dortmund.
- He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which promotes liberal ideas.
- He is also a member of the Television Board for ZDF, a major German public TV channel.
Political Ideas
Foreign Policy
In 2022, Lindner suggested that the European Union and the United States should restart talks about a free trade agreement. This agreement, called TTIP, would make it easier for businesses to trade between the two regions.
Supporting Entrepreneurs
Lindner is a strong supporter of entrepreneurs and new businesses. In 2015, he gave a powerful speech defending people who start companies. He said that even if a business fails, entrepreneurs deserve a second chance. He believes that starting a business, even with risks, is important for the economy.
Financial Policy
After the 2017 elections, Lindner said that Germany should not take on new debt. He wanted to cut income taxes for middle-class workers. He also believed in investing more in digital infrastructure, like better internet.
Personal Life
In 2011, Christian Lindner married journalist Dagmar Rosenfeld. They later divorced in 2020. In 2018, he began dating another journalist, Franca Lehfeldt. They got married in 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Lindner para niños
