Overview
- The OGM poll obtained by ServusTV on Thursday shows the FPÖ at 39%, the ÖVP at 21%, the Greens at 15%, the SPÖ at 12%, and NEOS at 7%, marking a roughly nine‑point drop for the SPÖ since the 2024 election.
- The SPÖ presidium voted to install Klubchef Philip Kucher and Minister Eva‑Maria Holzleitner as joint interim leaders to manage day‑to‑day party affairs while Andreas Babler stays on as vice‑chancellor through the end of the year.
- Public reaction is largely negative to Babler’s gradual exit plan, with about 65% in the poll preferring an immediate resignation and many party members reportedly leaving in several federal states.
- The party plans for Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer to become vice‑chancellor in early 2027, but that succession is explicitly conditional on his recovery from cancer and remains unresolved.
- Opinion shifts, high‑profile offers to take over the party and reports that some ÖVP insiders are debating a coalition exit have increased the risk of early elections and make the government’s near‑term stability uncertain.