Liberal Democratic Party general secretary Gilles Salai resigns after secret documents scandal: Deu

Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of the FDP, resigned after drawing conclusions from a strategic document published by the Liberal Party on the “traffic light” exit. The 48-year-old FDP politician made the announcement in Berlin.

«I unknowingly provided incorrect information about internal documents. This was not my intention as I do not personally understand the paper. “Djir-Sarai said. “I apologize for that. “The Secretary-General is responsible for this process – “I therefore bear the political responsibility to prevent my credibility and that of the Liberal Democratic Party from being damaged. “

Confidants of FDP leader Christian Lindner are taking action against the party's so-called “D-Day” documents announced the day before. It contains a detailed scenario for the FDP to exit traffic lights together with the SPD and Greens.

For example, it said the “ideal time” to “announce” an exit from the alliance in the middle of the 45th calendar week could be between November 4 and 10. On November 6, the long-standing crisis alliance effectively collapsed – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) dismissed Lindner as Finance Minister at a meeting of the Alliance Council.

Gil-Salai emphasized on November 18 in response to media reports at the time about the mention of the “Normandy landing”: “This is not true. This word has not been used.” Obviously, he had this in mind when he announced his resignation. ambivalence.

Ask for resignation

Just before Gilles-Sale's statement, Young Liberal leader Franziska Brandmann called on the FDP general secretary to resign. «As Secretary General, Bijan Djir-Sarai has political responsibility for the content and direction of the party. To prevent further damage to the party, I have asked JuLi Federation Chairman Bijan Djir-Sarai to resign. ” Brandman wrote on the text messaging service X.

She declared the paper, which had been published the day before, “unworthy of the Liberal Party.” Not only must the public get the impression that they have been deceived for weeks, but so must their own political parties. “This applies to me too – I was lied to too. I know many members of the Lib Dems feel the same way,” Brandman said.

There was also criticism of the wording of the strategy document

The paper was criticized not only for its content but also for its wording. The term “D-Day” was historically coined during World War II and appears several times in documents as a synonym for the possible time of departure from a traffic light.

The English term “D-Day” can be translated as “Day X” or it can also mean “the day of decision”. This formulation was made famous by the Allied landings in Normandy to liberate Europe from National Socialism. June 6, 1944, D-Day, marked the beginning of it all. But it also represented an inhumane bloodshed that left tens of thousands dead and injured.

Gil Salai has been secretary-general for two years

Gil-Salai will serve as Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party from April 2022. He was born in Tehran in 1976. He came to Germany when he was young, graduated from high school and studied business administration. In 2009, he was elected to the Bundestag for the first time. He has been a member of parliament since 2017.

After the 2021 federal elections, the Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals came together to form a coalition that had never existed in this form before at the federal level. The name “traffic light” comes from the party colors red (SPD), yellow (FDP) and green. (DAB/Sudan Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)

Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of the FDP, resigned after drawing conclusions from a strategy document on “traffic light” exits published by the Liberal Party. The 48-year-old FDP politician made the announcement in Berlin.