Those who are familiar with German politics will remember Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the former leader of the centre-right Free Democratic Party (FDP) who dominated German foreign policy for nearly two decades.

What surprises many is the fact that the FDP is just one of the many small political parties in Germany. Thanks to Proportional Representation (PR) adopted after WWII, which continues to ensure that smaller parties survive and even thrive, FDP has been part of the successive governments.

Adroitly exerting its influence, the party has been in power at the state and federal levels, switching its alliance between the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD) depending on the outcome of an election.