Austrian government’s No. 2 figure says he will step down
The staged handoff follows sliding support and internal disputes, with the SPÖ settling on an interim three-person leadership until Marterbauer takes over.
- Austrian Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler announced he will step down as Social Democrats leader and Vice-Chancellor in early 2027, ending weeks of public personnel speculation about the party's direction.
- Recent opinion polls place the party at 15%, a decline of about 6 points since September 2024, prompting Babler to state, "I am convinced this must end."
- On Thursday, October 8, the party's governing bodies meet to formally propose Research Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner and Philip Kucher as acting federal party chairs, while Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer is slated to succeed Babler.
- Chancellor Christian Stocker emphasized that internal party discussions must not interfere with government work, and Babler plans to remain in the cabinet as minister for housing, arts, culture, media, and sport.
- The Social Democrats expect to resolve the longer-term leadership question at a party congress in spring 2027, while coalition partners urge the government to prioritize planned reforms despite the transition.
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EXPLAINED: What Austria's SPÖ leadership shake-up means for the government
Austria's centre-left Social Democrats have agreed to a staged change at the top of the party and government, with Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler set to leave both leadership roles in early 2027.
Austrian government's No. 2 figure says he will step down
Austrian Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler said on Sunday he would quit as the second-highest government official and as leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party next year, bowing to growing unrest within the party over its slide in opinion polls.
Austria's SPÖ overthrows its boss Babler – and is in a sense crisis. Parallels also exist to the SPD. The Social Democrats have to adjust, comments Christian Deutschländer.
In the end, the pressure was too great: Austria's vice chancellor and SPÖ boss announced his withdrawal. The ill finance minister Markus Marterbauer should probably take over.
The Austrian Social Democrats urge their party leader and vice-chancellor Andreas Babler to withdraw. What does this mean for the government coalition in Vienna?
The party's leadership will be temporarily taken over by two service leaders, who will organize the election of a new leader - It intends to retain the Ministry of Housing, Culture, Media and Sports
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