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Austrian Vice Chancellor Babler resigns after poor poll numbers
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Austrian Vice Chancellor and Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) leader Andreas Babler has announced his resignation from both positions in the coming months, citing weak poll numbers and internal party pressure. Babler, a former shift worker who became SPÖ leader in 2023, faced controversy from the start due to his left-wing positions. The party achieved its worst-ever result of around 21% in the 2024 parliamentary election and currently polls at approximately 15.5%. Babler proposed Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer as his successor as Vice Chancellor, with the handover planned for early 2027, though the exact timing remains uncertain due to Marterbauer's ongoing cancer treatment. Babler will hand over party leadership to an interim management by the end of the year, with a new leader to be elected in spring. He intends to remain as minister for housing, culture, media, and sports in the coalition government of the conservative ÖVP, SPÖ, and liberal Neos. Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) warned that internal party discussions must not affect government work. Media manager Gerhard Zeiler recently announced his intention to replace Babler, but has received little public support within the party.
Source report
Social Democratic Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler in Vienna. Source: Elisabeth Mandl/REUTERS
Austria's Vice-Chancellor and leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), Andreas Babler, has announced his resignation from both positions in the coming months. The 53-year-old SPÖ chairman had come under increasing internal pressure due to weak poll numbers.
"We must succeed in pulling everyone together again," he said regarding the SPÖ leadership debate.
Babler stated that he has proposed Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer as his successor as Vice-Chancellor. The handover is expected to take place at the beginning of 2027, though the exact date remains open due to Marterbauer's ongoing cancer treatment. Marterbauer, 61, is regarded as a respected economist and enjoys high public trust according to polls.
Babler plans to hand over party leadership to an interim management team by the turn of the year. A new party chairperson is to be determined in the spring. However, Babler intends to remain Minister for Housing, Culture, Media, and Sport in the governing coalition of the conservative ÖVP, the SPÖ, and the liberal Neos.
Chancellor Stocker Warns Against Internal Party Debates
Babler said he has informed coalition partners about the personnel changes. Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) emphasized in an initial statement: "Internal party discussions must not interfere with government work."
Babler, a former shift worker, became SPÖ chairman in 2023. Due to his distinctly left-wing positions, he was controversial from the start among parts of the party. In the parliamentary election the following year, the Social Democrats achieved their worst-ever result with approximately 21 percent. According to current polls, the party now stands at only around 15.5 percent.
One week ago, media manager Gerhard Zeiler announced his intention to replace Babler. Zeiler is a former CEO of the RTL Group and currently a senior manager at Warner Bros. While his move reignited the leadership debate within the SPÖ, few party members have publicly backed Zeiler so far. Who will take over the party leadership from Babler therefore remains an open question.
dpa/gold
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