Katja Suding

Katja Suding (2011)

Katja Suding; born 30 December 1975 in Vechta, is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). She is chairwoman of the parliamentary group of her party in the Hamburgische Bürgerschaft.

Early life and education

Suding studied political science and romance studies at the University of Münster and graduated in 2003 as Magistra Artium. From 2004, she worked as a PR manager with international consulting firm Edelman.

Political career

Suding has been a member of the FDP since 2006. Since 2008, she has been a member of the Hamburg state executive board of the party. At the 2009 German federal election she stood unsuccessfully in Hamburg Altona. In December 2010, she was nominated as the leading candidate of the FDP to the Hamburg state election, 2011. The party had failed to gain any seats in the 2004 and 2008 elections, and the polls in 2010 predicted between three and four percent. Under Suding's leadership, the FDP managed a comeback to the Bürgerschaft with 6.7% of the votes, making it the best result since 1974[1] and giving them nine of the 121 seats.[2] Suding herself was elected to the constituency of Blankensee. After the state elections, the parliamentary party group elected her as its chairwoman and a member of the Budget Committee.

At the national party convention of the FDP in April 2011 in Rostock, Suding was for the first time elected as a member of the federal executive board of the party under the leadership of chairman Philipp Rösler.[3] In 2015, she was elected the party's deputy chairperson (alongside Wolfgang Kubicki and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann), this time under the leadership of chairman Christian Lindner.

Suding was a FDP delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2012 and 2017. In 2016, she announced that she would leave state politics and instead run for a parliamentary seat in the 2017 national elections.[4]

Other activities

Personal life

Suding is married and the mother of two sons.[7]

References

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