Vote of confidence

Nehammer still firmly in the saddle after election

Chancellor Karl Nehammer is firmly in the ÖVP saddle despite the election defeat.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

As expected, the ÖVP Executive Committee unanimously expressed its confidence in Karl Nehammer on Tuesday.

The Federal Chancellor had announced early on Monday morning that he would face the party's internal vote of confidence. A vote of no confidence was not to be expected, as numerous party members had previously announced their support for the party leader.

These included the governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, and the head of the parliamentary group, August Wöginger, who all declared their support for Nehammer when they arrived in Vienna's Lichtenfelsgasse. However, when it came to forming a government or holding exploratory talks, "others would be on the ball first".

ÖVP as playmaker in coalition poker
The election results will also be discussed at the meeting and the next steps will be discussed. It remains to be seen whether negotiating teams for exploratory talks will be put together. The ÖVP has lost first place and posted a record drop of 11 percentage points. Nevertheless, it is the playmaker in the beginning coalition poker. This is because it is part of four out of five theoretically possible coalitions.