Advertisement

Austrian chancellor quits after election defeat, party revolt

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann listens during a news conference in Vienna, Austria, May 3, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigned on Monday, bowing to a revolt from inside his Social Democratic Party after it suffered humiliating electoral defeat by a resurgent far right.

Advertisement

Faymann, chancellor since December 2008, paid the price for a series of election losses by his SPO party and its coalition partner, the conservative People’s Party, while the anti-immigration, far-right Freedom Party (FPO) made gains.

After a first-round vote in a presidential election two weeks ago in which the FPO achieved a record score to the embarrassment of the coalition partners, opposition within the Social Democratic Party (SPO) grew into open revolt.

“Do I have full cover ... strong support within the party? I must say the answer is no,” Faymann said in a statement on Monday.

“I draw the consequences from this low level of support and step down from my positions as party leader and federal chancellor,” he added, without specifying when the decision would take effect.

Advertisement

Austria plans migrant fence at Italian border

loading
Advertisement