New Leader Elected for Vienna ÖVP Party
A New Lease on Life for ÖVP Vienna: Markus Figl Steps Up
After a tumultuous Wien election, Markus Figl, the grandson of ex-Chancellor Leopold Figl, has taken the reins as chair of the ÖVP Vienna. The Viennese political scene was in disarray on Monday, following a disastrous single-digit result for the ÖVP. Karl Mahrer, who stepped down after the harrowing defeat, backed Figl for the top spot. The 51-year-old had previously served as the district mayor of the Inner City.
However, the district mayor of Döbling, Daniel Resch, also threw his hat in the ring for the vacant position. In the end, Figl secured the win with a decisive 21 votes to Resch's 3. Should the People's Party form a city hall coalition, Resch would be offered a government position.
Now, Figl faces the formidable task of rebuilding the ÖVP Vienna. The municipal council election on Sunday saw the turquoise party plummeting to 9.7 percent, a single-digit result. They were perilously close to falling below the historically worst result of 2015, when the capital's ÖVP slipped to 9.2 percent.
A Politician by Blood and By Choice
Figl, a jurist born on November 14, 1973, resides in the inner city and was previously a cabinet member of ÖVP Minister Michael Spindelegger. He is married and has four children. Politically, Figl, who is also considered a close confidant of former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, was socialized in the Young ÖVP. From 2005 to 2010, the native Viennese was already deputy district mayor in the city - until he was surprisingly demoted to a simple district council member by the then district chief Ursula Stenzel.
The subsequent coup caused a stir in the state party at the time, but Figl bounced back strong, being elected with 95% approval as the district chairman of the inner-city black and yellow in 2011. In 2014, it finally came to the crucial decision when Figl, not Stenzel, was elected with 100% as the leading candidate for the district council elections. Since December 2015, he has been the district mayor of the Vienna inner city.
A Man of Action
Figl's leadership in the inner city has been marked by a focus on making the city center a lived-in city center rather than a deserted one. His first project as district mayor was the renovation of Stephansplatz. However, he has a bone to pick with another Vienna landmark - the fiaker. Not only the horse droppings irk him, but he has also suggested the potential for a ban on the traditional carriages due to renovation costs.
Figl's plans for automobile traffic are ambitious, although not all have been realized yet. He has fought against the powerful Economic Chamber to advocate for comprehensive traffic calming. The so-called car-free city is an initiative conceived by Figl, although he doesn't envision a complete driving ban but rather prioritizing district residents and their vehicles. However, this project has yet to come to fruition due to legal requirements.
Electoral Win, But at a Cost
In the election on Sunday, Figl was able to defend the first place in the city center with the best result of all districts. More than 36% voted for the ÖVP in the first district, nowhere else in Vienna did one do better. However, his victory came with a loss of around 4 percentage points, mirroring the overall Turkish trend.
Rebuilding the ÖVP Vienna
With Figl at the helm, the ÖVP Vienna now faces the daunting task of rebuilding trust and rebranding themselves to address voter erosion. While specific policy pivots are yet to be announced, Figl's leadership will likely focus on housing and public safety issues, areas where the ÖVP traditionally competes with the SPÖ and Greens. This balancing act between the party's establishment roots and the need for agile reform will be compounded by Vienna’s increasingly fragmented political landscape[1][4].
- Markus Figl, as the new chair of ÖVP Vienna, will undertake the challenging task of restructuring economic and social policy, aiming to rebuild trust and rebrand the ÖVP following their single-digit result in the recent Wien election.
- As a key player in ÖVP politics, Markus Figl's focus on policy-and-legislation could potentially lead to significant changes in Vienna, especially in areas such as housing and public safety, where the ÖVP traditionally competes with the SPÖ and Greens.
- The mayoral election in Vienna saw Karl Mahrer, who stepped down after the ÖVP's harrowing defeat, backing Markus Figl for the top spot, ultimately securing victory with a decisive margin.
- The rebranding efforts of ÖVP Vienna, under the leadership of Markus Figl, must navigate the increasingly fragmented Viennese political landscape, striking a balance between the party's established roots and the need for agile reform in order to address voter erosion and maintain general news interest.
