Change at the SPÖ leadership: Max Lercher succeeds Anton Lang!

Change at the SPÖ leadership: Max Lercher succeeds Anton Lang!

In a surprising turn of events, the SPÖ has announced that Anton Lang will be stepping down from his position as deputy governor. This was confirmed in response to a request from ORF Steiermark. Max Lercher, currently regional chairman of the SPÖ Obersteiermark-West, is expected to be Lang's successor. The 38-year-old from Murtal is known as a rebel in the party and brings experience from various political offices, including his previous role as managing director of the SPÖ at the federal level. Lang's resignation is not unexpected, as he had already expressed his tiredness in office after the last state election.

Lang's political career

Anton Lang, born on November 12, 1959 in Leoben, is an experienced SPÖ politician. He has been a state councilor since May 2016 and took over the office of deputy state governor in the Schützenhöfer II state government on December 17, 2019, followed by the Drexler state government. Lang has been a member of the state parliament since 2008 and has held numerous political offices, including club chairman of the SPÖ-Leoben and city councilor for finance. His focus was on transport, the environment and renewable energy, with particular emphasis on local public transport. In addition, Lang was elected acting SPÖ state party chairman on January 27, 2020 and in 2020 and again in 2024 he confirmed his position with over 90 percent of the votes, which proves his strong, anchored position within the SPÖ Wikipedia reported.

The decision on Lang's successor is to be finalized at a meeting of the party executive committee on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Lercher's election would represent a generational change within the SPÖ Styria and could significantly influence the future direction of the party, especially after the recent electoral defeats, in which Lang's resignation is seen as a step in the right direction ORF Steiermark reported.