Search for a successor

Who will take on the SPÖ mission after Lindner’s resignation?

Michael Lindner no longer wants to and says goodbye to politics.

(Bild: ERWIN PILS WWW.FOTO-PILS.AT)

Following the resignation of SPÖ provincial leader and councillor Michael Lindner, the search for a successor has now begun. Discussions are already underway behind the scenes. The question is who will take on the SPÖ mission at all. 

Michael Lindner's resignation at lightning speed has caught everyone in the party off guard who is not part of his closest circle. And so it is understandable that concern is spreading among leading Social Democrats. After all, the aim is to beat the state elections in 2027, where the SPÖ will have to counter a still strong ÖVP and Thomas Stelzer as well as an increasingly strong FPÖ. Who could achieve this?

Young Social Democrat has a fixed ticket in Vienna
There are the logical candidates: Provincial Executive Florian Koppler is repeatedly brought into play. He is well received by the people, is considered quick-witted and has little fear when it comes to defending social democratic values. We are also used to this from Eva-Maria Holzleitner, but she is making a career for herself in Vienna. If the SPÖ enters the federal government, Andreas Babler's confidante has a fixed ticket.

Powerful forces bring Forsterleitner into play (once again)
The question is whether the new leader of the party will also have to sit in the provincial government. There are certainly discussions about separating the offices. Dietmar Prammer, the SPÖ leader in Linz who is campaigning in the election (he will be elected on Friday), is currently on a steep upward curve in terms of popularity. If he becomes mayor, he would probably be a candidate if no decision has been made by then.

But there are other forces at work in the background. The smart Christian Forsterleitner is the ideal candidate for many. He would be suitable as mayor (he was already deputy mayor in Linz) or party leader and/or provincial councillor. However, he left politics for similar reasons as Lindner has now. Nevertheless: Honorable former comrades keep asking and saying: "Christian, do it!"