Who will follow Nehammer?

ÖVP grandees took the back door to crisis meeting

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria, surrounded by ÖVP leaders on the way to the meeting

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

The ÖVP party leadership met at the Federal Chancellery on Sunday morning after Karl Nehammer announced his resignation on Saturday evening. They chose the back entrance; there were no statements for the waiting journalists for the time being. And it could be that the decision on who will take over the leadership of the People's Party will not even be made today ...

Following the failed government negotiations, Nehammer announced his resignation for "the next few days". He would facilitate an orderly transition, he said in a statement distributed via social media.

ÖVP grandees chose the back door
The party executive then met at the Federal Chancellery on Sunday morning. The ÖVP leaders, above all Johanna Mikl-Leitner, governor of Lower Austria, kept a low profile and chose the back entrance to get into the building. 

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria, surrounded by ÖVP leaders on the way to the meeting.

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

Barriers in front of the Federal Chancellery

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal, Krone KREATIV)

Wallner: "No standstill for months"
Only Vorarlberg's Governor Markus Wallner made a statement to the "Krone" newspaper in the run-up to the meeting. He indicated that it is still completely unclear in the ÖVP which direction the journey will take. "We must conduct the personnel discussion with clarity and calm, but we will have to do so. And I have to ask for a little patience, it will take a few hours."

The phones have been ringing off the hook all night. "But it's not an easy situation. I think we have to do everything we can now to avoid sliding towards a national crisis, because Austria certainly doesn't deserve that. We are in a difficult situation and I think it is also important from the perspective of the countries to point out that everything should be done to get things moving. What we don't need at all right now is stagnation for months on end and I personally don't believe in new elections."

New elections would mean a standstill and that would also be risky in terms of the economic situation. "We also have to look at it from this perspective and say, presumably together with the Federal President, it's his turn to say what is really necessary for the Republic and for reasons of state and what is not. And that is by no means an easy situation. This withdrawal by various people, which actually annoys me in retrospect, is triggering half a national crisis and that is not sensible."

No definite decision yet on Sunday
According to information from the "Krone", it is possible that only an interim solution for Nehammer's successor will be found on Sunday. In addition, there is unlikely to be a marathon meeting - the ÖVP heads of state already have other appointments that they intend to attend in the afternoon, it is said. Regardless of this, a statement from Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is expected at 1 pm. 

Officially, the leaders of the People's Party had praised the outgoing Federal Chancellor. Efforts were made to demonstrate unity by quickly passing the buck to the SPÖ. 

Christian Sagartz, chairman of the ÖVP in Burgenland, spoke of a "blockade attitude", while Vienna's ÖVP leader Karl Mahrer accused SPÖ leader Andreas Babler of having "led the SPÖ into an ideological inability to act". Nehammer himself had also previously said that "destructive forces had gained the upper hand" in the SPÖ.