3-Way Split In SPÖ Leader Contest; June Conference Could Expose Schisms

Governor of Burgenland Hans Peter Doskozil has recorded a very narrow victory in the non-binding election for the leadership of the main opposition centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ). Doskozil, a hardliner on migration from the centre of the party, won 33.7% of the vote to 31.5% for Mayor of Traiskirchen Andreas Babler and 31.4% for incumbent SPÖ head Pamela Rendi-Wagner.

• The delivery of essentially a three-way split highlights the major divisions evident within the SPÖ and the extraordinary party conference in Linz at the start of June, where the decision on the leadership will be made, could lead to significant schisms erupting between differing wings of the party.
• The next federal election is not due until autumn 2024 at the latest, but opinion polling shows the SPÖ having fallen to third place behind the right-wing nationalist Freedom Party and the governing centre-right People's Party (ÖVP). This is despite the ÖVP having governed since 2017, a scandal that claimed the position of former ÖVP Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, high inflation, and sluggish growth.