Wissing: "Alexander Schweitzer is reliable" - Volker Wissing endorses Schweitzer ahead of Rhineland-Palatinate's pivotal election
Two Palatinate Natives Were Long Part of Rhineland-Palatinate's Traffic Light Coalition—Now One Wants to Stay Premier, While the Other, a Non-Partisan Lawyer, Praises Him in the Rheinpfalz
Volker Wissing, the former Rhineland-Palatinate FDP leader and ex-federal transport minister, has commended the governance of state premier Alexander Schweitzer (SPD). "Rhineland-Palatinate has been well governed for years," Wissing told the Rheinpfalz. "The state has developed very positively in many respects, particularly in biotechnology." In times of uncertainty driven by global change, he argued, "we need continuity and strong cohesion." He added that the traffic light coalition—under both Malu Dreyer and now Schweitzer—had "proven it can steer the state safely through difficult times."
Wissing, who is now unaffiliated with any party, described Schweitzer as dependable, with extensive experience in top political roles. On March 22, Rhineland-Palatinate will elect its state parliament, and Schweitzer is seeking confirmation as premier.
However, Wissing emphasized that he no longer belongs to a political party and is not actively campaigning. "That's why I'm not endorsing any party," he said. The 55-year-old left the FDP after the collapse of the federal traffic light coalition in Berlin.
"But I've known Alexander Schweitzer personally for a long time, including from our successful collaboration in Mainz," Wissing noted. As FDP state leader and later as minister for transport and economic affairs, he was a long-standing ally of Schweitzer, who first led the SPD parliamentary group, then served as labor and social affairs minister before succeeding Dreyer as premier.
"We even attended the same school in Bad Bergzabern," Wissing revealed. He praised Schweitzer for balancing social justice with economic needs: "Society requires both."
As a committed democrat, Wissing stressed that he cares deeply about who governs the state. "What matters is that substantive policies—not empty promises—shape the election outcome," he said. "Germany already has enough extremism. Rhineland-Palatinate can serve as a vital anchor of democratic stability. Voters should keep that in mind on election day."
Wissing expressed no sympathy for his former party, the FDP, which risks falling short of the five-percent threshold in Mainz. "The FDP doesn't need pity—it's in government. Election campaigns are when governing parties must win over voters with their record and their ideas."
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