Quake triggered in SPÖ

Bures letter: “I even slept on it overnight”

"Andreas Babler is the democratically elected party chairman. Period!" emphasizes Doris Bures.(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

Doris Bures (62), number 2 in the SPÖ, surprised with harsh criticism of party leader Andreas Babler. Her rise represents the promise of social democracy: as one of six children of a single mother, she could become Austria's first female federal president in four years' time.

Doris Bures is anything but one of the party's notorious snipers. Nor is she a backbencher who relies on quick headlines. This makes her internal criticism of Babler's program, which found its way into the public domain two weeks ago via the "Krone" newspaper, all the more important.