Message to opponents

Babler after power struggle: “Hand is extended”

Andreas Babler remains chairman of the SPÖ. The question is whether he can maintain his result of just under 89 percent in his re-election at the party conference on March 7.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

SPÖ leader Andreas Babler speaks out for the first time after the red power struggle in an interview with "Krone" and calls on his party to show unity after weeks of personnel debates. The 52-year-old, who is now the only candidate after former Chancellor Christian Kern withdrew, expects a good result from the party conference on March 7. However, he is not getting involved in "number games."

Krone: Since you took over the party, there has been constant unrest. Why can't the SPÖ find internal peace?
Andreas Babler: In internal party discussions, you don't make public statements. That damages the party. We all agree on this. I believe this realization has prevailed. I don't even want to think about where we could be, including in the polls, if it weren't for these public debates that a few people are conducting.

Andreas Babler remains chairman of the SPÖ. The question is...(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

... whether he can maintain his result of just under 89 percent in his re-election at the party conference on March 7.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

There are obviously some state party leaders who are against you as party leader. How do you intend to get your opponents on board?
We need unity within the party if we are to lead this country out of its decline. My hand is outstretched. I did not participate in the personnel debate. I must concentrate on fully unleashing the SPÖ's power in this federal government.

The SPÖ achieved its worst result ever in the National Council elections and has continued to slip in the polls after a year in government. How do you explain that?
We made the decision to join the government together. We knew at the time that it would not be an easy situation, given the mess we inherited. In these difficult times, it is hard for any governing party to win polls. We see that confidence in those in power has been lost across the board. And not without reason, if I look at recent governments. We are fighting for this trust and have delivered results. We have halved inflation within a year and revised economic growth upwards three times already. Next, we will tackle structural reform in healthcare.

The interview took place at the SPÖ headquarters on Löwelstraße.(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

What will be the main topics of the party conference on March 7, and what result do you expect for your re-election as SPÖ chairman?
"Unite instead of divide" is the mottoofthe party conference. The result is not about percentages, but about sending an important signal to the outside world. Social democracy needs its full strength to be as effective as possible in the country. Everyone in the party should share this conviction. I spend a lot of time traveling around the provinces, in the districts, with mayors, with local party leaders, and at regional conferences. That's perhaps what sets me apart from my predecessors. And we can already see that it makes sense that we took responsibility and led Austria out of decline.

The former governor of Burgenland, Hans Niessl, has put himself forward as a candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Will you support him?
We should and will discuss this in an orderly manner within the party committees and not publicly announce any names.