The Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), whose leader Karl Nehammer announced his resignation following the failure of coalition negotiations, has chosen its General Secretary, Christian Stocker, as its new leader.
The leadership meeting of Austria’s conservative ÖVP took place behind closed doors in the Federal Chancellery on the morning of January 5.
By midday, the party had agreed that its General Secretary, Christian Stocker, would serve as interim party leader. A permanent leader will be elected at an ÖVP congress scheduled to take place in a few months. Stocker’s task will be to stabilize the Austrian People’s Party, which has been gripped by crisis following Nehammer’s decision to step down as Chancellor of Austria and party leader.
Nehammer explained his decision as a result of the failed coalition talks his party had conducted with the Social Democrats after the parliamentary elections in September 2024.
Although the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) won the elections, it did not secure enough votes for an outright majority, and other parties refused to form a coalition with it. The current situation increases the likelihood of early parliamentary elections in Austria.
