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Christian Stocker | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Stocker in 2025 | |
| Chancellor of Austria | |
| Assumed office 3 March 2025 | |
| President | Alexander Van der Bellen |
| Vice-Chancellor | Andreas Babler |
| Preceded by | Karl Nehammer |
| Chair of the People's Party | |
| Assumed office 29 March 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Karl Nehammer |
| Member of theNational Council | |
| Assumed office 12 June 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Johann Rädler |
| Constituency | Lower Austria South |
| Secretary-General of thePeople's Party | |
| In office 23 September 2022 – 5 January 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Laura Sachslehner |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Pröll |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1960-03-20)20 March 1960 (age 65) Wiener Neustadt, Austria |
| Political party | People's |
| Spouse | Gerda Legenstein |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Christian Stocker ([ˈkʁɪsti̯anˈʃtɔkɐ]; born 20 March 1960) is an Austrian politician who has been thechancellor of Austria since March 2025. A member of thePeople's Party (ÖVP), he has been a member of theNational Council since 2019 and actingChair of the People's Party since 5 January 2025.[1] He had previously served as general secretary of the party from September 2022 to January 2025.[2][3] On 5 January 2025 he was elected new acting party leader of the People's Party, following the resignation of ChancellorKarl Nehammer.
After ruling it out before, Stocker announced the ÖVP's willingness to enter coalition talks withHerbert Kickl and the far-rightFPÖ. Coalition talks between ÖVP,SPÖ andNEOS previously failed in the aftermath of the2024 Austrian legislative election.[4] On 27 February 2025, the SPÖ, ÖVP and NEOS announced an agreement to form a coalition government to be led by Stocker as Chancellor.[5]
Stocker was born and raised inWiener Neustadt. His father, Franz Stocker, was a ÖVP representative in theNational Council.[6] Stocker attend elementary and secondary school in Wiener Neustadt. He studied law at theUniversity of Vienna from 1979, graduating with a master's degree in 1986. In 1988, he received adoctorate in law.[3]
On June 12, 2019, Stocker was sworn in as a member of theNational Council during the XXVI legislative period, succeeding Johann Rädler, who had resigned his mandate. In June 2021, he was re-elected as chairman of the ÖVP in Wiener Neustadt. In December 2021, he was appointed spokesperson for internal affairs and security within the ÖVP parliamentary club.
In March 2022, Stocker was elected deputy district party chairman, and in September 2022, he was appointed secretary-general of the ÖVP. For the 2024 National Council elections, he was the party's top candidate in the Lower Austria South district and was placed seventh on the ÖVP's federal list, securing a direct mandate from his district. Following the election, he became a member of the ÖVP's negotiating team for government formation discussions with theSocial Democratic Party (SPÖ) and theNEOS.
On January 5, 2025, Stocker was appointedChairman of the ÖVP following the resignation ofKarl Nehammer, which came after the unsuccessful tripartite coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS. Under his leadership, the ÖVP initiated negotiations with theFreedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which had emerged as the strongest party in the2024 legislative election. Despite Stocker having previously expressed strong criticism of the FPÖ, negotiations between the two parties continued but ultimately failed on February 12, 2025.
After the 2025 local council elections inLower Austria, Stocker resigned from his mandate in Wiener Neustadt and stepped down as deputy mayor, though he remained the city's party chairman.
Following renewed coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS, Stocker emerged as the leading candidate for the office of Chancellor. He was sworn in as Chancellor of Austria on March 3, 2025, forming the Stocker government.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chancellor of Austria 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | ActingChair of the People's Party 2025–present | Incumbent |
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