"Krone" poll

VdB successor: the favorites for the Hofburg election

In three years' time, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will leave the Hofburg.(Bild: AFP/JOE KLAMAR)

Alexander Van der Bellen will leave the Hofburg in 2028. Who will succeed the Federal President? The parties are putting forward candidates. A selection of potential contenders has been put forward for a survey.

Alexander Van der Bellen will continue to reside in the Hofburg until 2028 as the much-tested head of state (since Ibiza, things have gone more than round and round). Then the professor will step down at the age of 84. Parties are already putting forward various candidates. The "Krone" commissioned the Institute for Public Opinion Research and Data Analysis (IFDD) to investigate their suitability.

Ex-candidate ahead of FPÖ aspirant
This is a non-exhaustive selection. Around 20 people were sent into the race. In the lead in this survey: former high court judge and federal presidential candidate Irmgard Griss (79). 45 percent of respondents consider her to be very or suitable (see chart below). "She only narrowly failed to make the run-off in her first run for office and is currently back in the spotlight thanks to the SOS Children's Villages Commission," says IFDD head and political insider Christoph Haselmayer. However, it is extremely uncertain whether the former NEOS politician will run again.

Norbert Hofer (41%) follows in second place in the "Krone" survey on suitability. The 54-year-old FPÖ candidate came first in the first round of the 2016 presidential election campaign and was only narrowly defeated by Van der Bellen in the run-off.

These people have a chance of becoming Federal President:

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Roland Schlager(2x), Andreas Tröster(2x), Rene Walentin, Christian Jauschowetz(2x), AFP/Philip Davali, fotografundfee.at, EPA/Robert Ghement, stock.adobe.com)

Good prospects for the country's emperor
"Hofer would have very good chances this time too," says Haselmayer. Not least because the Blue Party is currently experiencing a strong tailwind. In the SPÖ, the Third President of the National Council Doris Bures (63) and Carinthia's Peter Kaiser (66) would have good prospects. There are internal discussions, according to information from "Krone", the Viennese Bures is no longer necessarily keen on the position. She has never acted as a top candidate. "On the other hand, she has been able to shed her reputation as an apparatchik in her many years as Second or Third President of the National Council," says Haselmayer.

Norbert Hofer(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Wilfried Haslauer(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Kaiser, on the other hand, enjoys a good reputation throughout Austria, is seen as unifying and could have a corresponding effect. What about the ÖVP? "Once again, they have a major candidate problem." The current candidate is former governor of Salzburg, Wilfried Haslauer (69). He doesn't do so well in the "Krone" ranking. Haselmayer: "With Haslauer, the ÖVP is threatened with an Andreas Khol fate." As a reminder: the veteran sacrificed himself for the 2016 election due to a lack of promising alternatives and achieved a predictably disastrous result.

Othmar Karas would be a compromise candidate 
A former ÖVP member who has publicly distanced himself from his party would have a better chance. Othmar Karas (67). The long-standing EU politician would be a compromise candidate "across party lines", according to Haselmayer. It is considered certain that Karas will also run. However, much will depend on who the FPÖ ultimately sends into the race. It is rumored that the blue party would certainly take a more offensive approach to the office than the senior figures in the Hofburg.