SPÖ Upper Austria chooses Martin Winkler with 95 percent as the new boss!

SPÖ Upper Austria chooses Martin Winkler with 95 percent as the new boss!

Oberösterreich, Österreich - On June 16, 2025, the SPÖ Upper Austria presented its new chairman. Martin Winkler, a 62-year-old entrepreneur and co-founder of the crowdfunding platform respect.net, was chosen with an impressive majority of 95 percent of the votes cast. As the only candidate for the end of the vote, which began on May 28, Winkler met the requirements without difficulty. The turnout was 41 percent below the approximately 20,000 members of the SPÖ Upper Austria.

The end of the vote was valid, but still requires the formal confirmation of a party convention in September. Until this confirmation, Alois Stöger, the managing party chairman, leads the party. Stöger had assumed the responsibility for the management of the SPÖ to find a suitable successor.

Winkler's vision for Upper Austria

"More energy for Upper Austria" is the motto of Winkler, which pays attention to the topics of industry and alternative energies. With his entrepreneur background, he brings fresh ideas to the party leadership, which are of increasing importance in times of change.

An important step for Winkler is already facing: on July 3, he will move to the state government and replace Michael Lindner as a state council. Lindner had already announced his withdrawal from politics on November 9 of the previous year, which made a fresh start within the party.

political framework in Austria

The election in Upper Austria takes place within a larger, structured electoral system that is divided into the federal, state and community level. As floo.media, the eligible voters in Austria are stated: Every person who is at least 16 years old on election day and is not excluded due to a conviction can take part in elections.

In recent years, the turnout has dropped in Austria, especially since the 1980s. However, the stable values are still between 75 and 80 percent in National Council elections. These trends influence the political landscape and could also represent challenges for new party leaders such as Winkler.

The SPÖ Upper Austria goes with Winkler at the top into an exciting time, which hopefully is characterized by an increased activity and commitment of its members. The coming months will show how his leading role and vision will affect the party and the political landscape of Upper Austria.