Andreas Babler

Andreas "Andi" Babler
Babler in 2023
Chair of the Social Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 June 2023
Preceded byPamela Rendi-Wagner
Mayor of Traiskirchen
In office
29 April 2014 – 24 October 2024
Preceded byFriedrich Knotzer
Member of the Federal Council
In office
23 March 2023 – 23 October 2024
AffiliationSocial Democratic Party
Member of the National Council
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 October 2024
AffiliationSocial Democratic Party
Personal details
Born
Andreas Babler

(1973-02-25) 25 February 1973 (age 51)
Mödling, Austria
Political partySocial Democratic Party
EducationUniversity for Continuing Education Krems (MSc)
WebsiteOfficial website

Andreas "Andi" Babler (born 25 February 1973) is an Austrian politician who has been the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) since June 2023[1] and member of the National Council of Austria since October 2024.[2] He has been described as being a left-wing populist.[3][4]

Early life

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Babler grew up in a Semperit family in Möllersdorf, part of the municipality of Traiskirchen. He went to technical college in Mödling and subsequently worked in machine construction, as a warehouse labourer, and in a mineral water bottling plant.[5][6] After starting his career in politics, he studied political communication at the University for Continuing Education Krems (MSc).[7]

Political career

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In 1989, Babler joined the Socialist Youth Austria (SJÖ), where he rose to become the state secretary for the SJ Lower Austria, then the federal secretary of the SJÖ, and lastly vice president of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). In 1995, he became a member of the town council of Traiskirchen. He became mayor of Traiskirchen in 2014. In his first election he received the best election result for the SPÖ in Traiskirchen since 1945: 73.1 percent, an increase of 4.2%.[8]

Babler has received regular nationwide attention due to the Traiskirchen refugee camp, the largest refugee camp in Austria and one of the largest in Europe.[9][10] In the 2023 Lower Austrian provincial election, Babler received 20,000 preferential votes.[11] Traiskirchen was one of very few towns with increases for the SPÖ.[12] Subsequent to this success, he was named the chairperson of a reform commission of the Social Democratic Party of Lower Austria.[11] Following his success in the Lower Austrian provincial election in 2023, Babler was appointed member of the upper chamber of the Austrian Parliament, the Federal Council (Bundesrat), as a representative for Lower Austria in March 2023.[13][14]

On 23 March 2023, Babler announced his candidacy for the 2023 Social Democratic Party of Austria leadership election as a surprise candidate.[15][16][17] The results of the membership election were announced on 22 May 2023 and Babler came in second with 31.5% of the votes.[18] Babler and other party members requested that a run-off among the party members should be held between him and Hans Peter Doskozil, who came in first at 33.7%; the SPÖ leadership decided in a vote of 25–22 against it. Instead, an election for the party chair with the candidates Doskozil and Babler was held among 603 delegates at an extraordinary party congress on 3 June 2023.[19] According to the first counting of the ballot on 3 June 2023, Doskozil won over Babler with 53% versus 47% of the votes.[20] As the ballot was recounted on 5 June 2023, it was found that during the first counting the votes for Babler erroneously had been attributed to Doskozil and that vice versa the votes for Doskozil erroneously had been attributed to Babler. Babler accepted his election as party leader on 6 June 2023.[1][21][22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Fehler bei Auszählung: Babler doch neuer SPÖ-Parteichef". kurier.at (in German). 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Babler Andreas, MSc | Parlament Österreich". www.parlament.gv.at (in German). Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  3. ^ Löwenstein, Stephan; Wien (8 July 2023). "Andreas Babler: Links neben ihm soll niemand stehen". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. ^ Imwinkelried, Daniel (12 June 2023). "Der neue SPÖ-Chef Andreas Babler stösst bereits auf Widerstand". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ^ Andi Babler Archived 30 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Verein Machen wir was – Verein zur Förderung politischer Beteiligung, Vienna (in German).
  6. ^ Andreas Babler, MSc Archived 31 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine, curriculum vitae, Social Democratic Party of Austria (in German).
  7. ^ "Medien, Strategien und Kommunikation in Arbeitskämpfen am Beispiel der Semperit Traiskirchen (Master Thesis)" (in German). 2009. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Traiskirchen hat gewählt" (in German). 25 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Andreas Babler - der streitbare Bürgermeister von Traiskirchen" (in German). 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Wie zornig sind Sie schon, Herr Bürgermeister" (in German). 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Andreas Babler (SPÖ) von Vorzugsstimmen bei NÖ-Wahl "überwältigt"" (in German). 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Die spannendsten Gemeindeergebnisse" (in German). 29 January 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Babler Andreas, MSc - Parlament Österreich" (in German). 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Niederösterreichisches SPÖ-Bundesratsteam steht fest" (in German). Niederösterreichische Nachrichten. 15 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  15. ^ "SPÖ-Mitgliederbefragung: Kein Duell, sondern mehrere Kandidaten" (in German). 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Traiskirchens Bürgermeister Babler kandidiert für SPÖ-Vorsitz" (in German). 23 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Fünf Thesen, wie Bablers Antreten und ein Gerücht über Kern den SPÖ-Führungsstreit durcheinanderwirbeln" (in German). 24 March 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Hans Peter Doskozil gewinnt SPÖ-Mitgliederabstimmung". Die Presse (in German). 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  19. ^ "SPÖ-Parteitag entscheidet über Vorsitz, rote Basis wird nicht erneut befragt". Der Standard (in German). 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Doskozil ist neuer SPÖ-Chef". ORF. 3 June 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Babler ist nach Auszählungs-Panne statt Doskozil Chef der SPÖ". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  22. ^ Krutzler, David (6 June 2023). "Babler accepts his election (Babler nimmt die Wahl an)". derstandard.at (in German). Vienna: Standard Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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