State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner ruled out Sobotka running as the ÖVP's primary candidate in Lower Austria. Claudia Tanner and Gerhard Garner have been mentioned as possible replacements.

Vienna (APA) – National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka will not run again as the ÖVP front-runner in Lower Austria in the 2024 National Council elections. State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) brought up Defense Minister Claudia Tanner or Interior Minister Gerhard Garner as possible alternatives in the “NÖN” interview. According to the weekly newspaper, he is leaving open whether Sobotka will run again in the National Council elections.

Mikl-Leitner: “We have a Claudia Tanner and a Gerhard Garner”

“Wolfgang Sobotka gave up being the primary candidate in Lower Austria because we have a Claudia Tanner and a Gerhard Garner,” the state governor said in an interview. According to the weekly newspaper, the office of the head of the National Council confirmed that it had been agreed with Mikl-Leitner. Sobotka led Lower Austria's ÖVP as primary candidate in the 2017 and 2019 National Council elections. It is not yet certain that the 67-year-old will run again: “The president always crosses bridges only when they exist,” said a spokesperson for “NÖN”. (APA)