SPÖ Leader Andreas Babler to Be Replaced by Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer in 2027

Andreas Babler, leader of Austria's Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), will be sidelined by two co-chairs appointed as minders, according to reporting by Franz Schandl in the Freitag. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer is slated to take over as vice-chancellor at the start of 2027 and is expected to replace Babler as party chairman at the next party congress. Babler will be allowed to serve as media minister for a few more weeks before his tenure ends. The arrangement follows a long-smoldering leadership crisis within the SPÖ, and the party has fallen behind the Greens in opinion polls for the first time. The article questions whether the party leadership's solution amounts to anything more than a stopgap, suggesting there is no viable "Plan A" or "Plan B" remaining. The piece also asks who was truly responsible for Babler's political downfall. Further details appear in the current issue of the Freitag.