Surprise promotion – Stocker also becomes Kickl’s vice chancellor

They didn’t have much time. Only 15 hours after Karl Nehammer resigned as ÖVP leader and chancellor, the ÖVP state leaders had to select a successor. Sebastian Kurz, who was favored by the regional leader of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, was canceled by the ÖVP that night at short notice. Karoline Edtstadler also waved away.

Detto’s shortlist was Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer. His lack of experience in federal politics speaks against the former state councilor of Upper Austria, who has only been general secretary of the Chamber of Commerce since the beginning of this year. Moreover, the governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer, held back. He also did not want to ‘burn out’ his compatriot as a newcomer on the Viennese political scene.

The anti-Kickl front lost its importance in the ÖVP
In other words, the circle of candidates for the Nehammer legacy was rapidly shrinking. However, the time pressure quickly increased. The state governors were already frantically on the phone in the early morning hours – because the transfer had to be arranged in the meeting at 9:30 am in the chancellery. Most state governors, such as Johann Mikl-Leitner, chose the back entrance on Ballhausplatz to avoid the questions of the TV teams: in addition to Nehammer’s successor, the crisis meeting was also intended to find a way out of the state crisis.

The party leadership was faced with the question: new elections or coalition talks with the Kickl-FPÖ, on the condition that Alexander Van der Bellen’s FPÖ leader is given the task of forming a government? “It quickly became clear that new elections were the worst option, not only for the party, but also for the country, because that would mean another several months of standstill. “You cannot afford that in a crisis year of 2025,” says Governor Thomas Stelzer (Upper Austria). Moreover, the party has no financial resources for an election campaign and there is no politician at the top who can campaign.

Stocker should investigate the FPÖ boss
With Nehammer’s departure, the anti-Kickl front within the ÖVP was also decimated. Five state governors from the ÖVP formed a coalition with the FPÖ, so that the barrier to inhibition was no longer high.

But who can lead the negotiations with Kickl? After all the dazzling names were out of the running, the way was clear for the calm pragmatist – the former Secretary General Christian Stocker.

Despite verbally assaulting Kickl several times, the lawyer is now expected to lead the negotiations. If he achieves a good result as a junior partner, he will have to rule as a deputy under Chancellor Kickl.

Can this work well? Stocker acted against the FPÖ leader several times. His comments were often not really a personal insult. Stelzer views these confrontations calmly: “What hasn’t Herbert Kickl told us yet? The tone is harsher in federal politics.”

And Mikl-Leitner sees Stocker as a guarantee for piercing the teeth of the FPÖ leader (democratic policies): “Because he is a sharp critic of Kickl, he is exactly the right person to investigate whether cooperation with the FPÖ in this constellation is possible at all. ”