Austrian government's No. 2 figure says he will step down
Tweet
Share
E-mail
Vice Chancellor and head of Social democrat's SPOe Andreas Babler arrives for a meeting in Vienna, Austria, October 4, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
By Francois Murphy
VIENNA, Oct 4 (Reuters) - 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.
The Social Democrats are the second party in a three-way government led by conservative Chancellor Christian Stocker that was formed last year after the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) won the most seats in a parliamentary election for the first time but was unable to forge a ruling coalition.
While the three-party government's formation shut the FPO out of power, the FPO has only gained ground in opinion polls since then. Its support is now running around 38%, more than the Social Democrats and Stocker's People's Party combined.
Speculation about Babler's potential departure grew as the Social Democrats' support kept sliding. Recent opinion polls put it on 15%, a fall of about 6 points since the last parliamentary election in September 2024.
"Public debates over who the leader should be are not good for political parties. Public disputes are not good for political parties," Babler told a press conference after a day of meetings among senior party figures, adding that the debate over whether he should quit was a distraction.
"I am convinced this must end," he said.
Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, will replace Babler as vice chancellor early next year and Babler will step down as party leader at the same time, Babler said, adding that he could not say which week the change would happen in.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- Co-pilot planned flydubai attack before hired by airline, two Israeli officials say
- For freed Israeli hostages, every moment is now precious
- Beijing park's holiday caterpillar hunt targets 'forest food monster'
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
