The party announced this in a press conference on Wednesday. The list will be elected at a state assembly next February. Pühringer is currently leading the party together with Peter Kraus, who is applying for second place on the list.
The Pühringer-Kraus duo has been in office since May 202. Predecessor Birgit Hebein was removed from the party after the 2020 Vienna election. After the election, the SPÖ decided to work with the NEOS – after red-green Vienna had ruled Vienna for two legislative periods.
The 2020 election result was certainly positive for the Greens. They were able to achieve their best result to date with 14.8 percent. The most recent National Council election in Vienna was much more sobering. The Eco Party lost 8.4 percentage points. It came in fourth place with 12.3 percent, just ahead of the NEOS.
What were the circumstances surrounding Andreas Babler‘s victory in the recent SPÖ leadership election?
## A Tale of Two Elections: Interview on SPÖ Leadership
**Interviewer:** Joining us today is political analyst Dr. Franziska Schmidt to discuss the recent shakeup within Austria’s Social Democratic Party, the SPÖ. Dr. Schmidt, thanks for being here.
**Dr. Schmidt:** My pleasure. It’s certainly been an interesting week for the SPÖ.
**Interviewer:** Indeed. Let’s start with the recent leadership election. Andreas Babler was declared the new leader after a rather unusual turn of events. Can you tell us what happened?
**Dr. Schmidt:** Absolutely. It seems there was a technical error in the initial vote count. The party initially announced that Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil had won, but upon further review, it was revealed that the votes had been misattributed, ultimately leading to Babler being declared the victor. [[1](https://www.thelocal.at/20230605/breaking-austrias-spo-party-announces-babler-as-leader-after-vote-mix-up)]
**Interviewer:** Quite a blunder! What are the ramifications of this for the SPÖ?
**Dr. Schmidt:** This incident certainly casts a shadow on the party’s internal procedures and raises questions about their organizational competence. However, Babler is now tasked with unifying the party and preparing for upcoming elections.
**Interviewer:** Speaking of upcoming elections, you mentioned Vienna. What’s the political landscape there looking like for the SPÖ?
**Dr. Schmidt:** The SPÖ is currently part of a coalition with NEOS in Vienna, after their previous partnership with the Greens ended. The Greens experienced a significant win in the 2020 Vienna election, but their performance in the recent national council election was less impressive. It will be interesting to see how the SPÖ navigates these shifting political dynamics in the lead-up to the next Viennese elections.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for shedding light on these developments, Dr. Schmidt. It seems the SPÖ is entering a crucial period, both at a national and local level.
**Dr. Schmidt:** My pleasure. It will be fascinating to witness how the party evolves under Babler’s leadership and adapts to the challenging political landscape.
