Blümel, Görg, Busek: Mahrer's Predecessors at the Head of the Vienna ÖVP

After the resignation of Karl Mahrer, the Vienna ÖVP is once again in search of new leadership. In the Second Republic, there was a lively coming and going in the People's Party. A total of 16 leaders have been appointed so far, along with three acting leaders who guided the party during transitional periods. The current favorite is the district leader of the Inner City, Markus Figl.

Mahrer not long Vienna ÖVP leader

Mahrer was allowed to lead the party for three years, making him one of the shortest-serving leaders. Manfred Juraczka was also in office for only three years, slightly shorter were Heinrich Wille and Wolfgang Petrik.

The latter two had the unenviable task of succeeding Erhard Busek, who in the 1970s and 1980s, with his "colorful birds," brought the ÖVP strong voter growth for over a decade. With 13 years in office, Busek remains the longest-serving city party chairman of the Vienna ÖVP to this day.

After the moderately successful intermezzos with Wille and Petrik, there was once again a fairly stable period in the People's Party. Bernhard Görg was able to govern with the SPÖ and used this for a term that spanned over a decade.

Mahrer Predecessor Blümel Successful

After that, it became more short-lived again. State Secretary of Finance Alfred Finz was allowed to try his hand as Vienna's party chairman from 2002 to 2005, before a long-term solution seemed to emerge with Johannes Hahn. However, his appointment to the EU Commission in Brussels ended the municipal engagement of the then Minister of Science in 2010. State Secretary Christine Marek (ÖVP) was allowed to lose just one election before she sought to distance herself from the party leadership again in 2011 due to a lack of support.

Manfred Juraczka was then able to take over until 2015. 9.24 percent in the municipal council election that year, and thus a result even below that of Karl Mahrer, ended his engagement as party chairman. Things went better under Gernot Blümel (ÖVP), who lifted the party back to second place among the electorate during the Kurz hype. When Kurz had to leave, Blümel also had enough and said goodbye to the Vienna ÖVP as leader in 2021.

Overview of ÖVP State Party Chairmen in Vienna

News on the Vienna Election

(APA/Red)

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