Austrians will likely go to the polls in September after a leadership crisis brought an end to a partnership between Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party. The government of Austria's Social Democratic Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer is coming to an end after the conservative People's Party called for early elections on Monday, July 7. According to sources within the Social Democratic Party, Gusenbauer told the party leadership on Monday that he would not run for chancellor in the upcoming vote. He proposed current party leader and Transport Minister Werner Faymann as the new top candidate, Austrian media reported. Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer, the leader of the People's Party, said the Social Democrats' current leadership crisis had led the cabinet into a "dead end" and elections by September were the only way out.
The government of Austria's Social Democratic Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer is coming to an end after the conservative People's Party called for early elections on Monday, July 7.
According to sources within the Social Democratic Party, Gusenbauer told the party leadership on Monday that he would not run for chancellor in the upcoming vote. He proposed current party leader and Transport Minister Werner Faymann as the new top candidate, Austrian media reported.
Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer, the leader of the People's Party, said the Social Democrats' current leadership crisis had led the cabinet into a "dead end" and elections by September were the only way out.
As far as I understand the story, the last episode concerned the EU. The SPÖ leaders announced an intention to hold referenda on future EU treaties in an LTE to a newspaper, and both the move and the way it was announced led to outrage within the party, within the coalition, within the population, and in the EU Commission. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
