National Council leader Wolfgang Sobotka was expected to run again for the ÖVP in September. Only on the federal list and not in Lower Austria, but it has already been agreed with the federal party. But now everything is different. The 68-year-old politician from Waidhofen an der Ybbs will no longer run. He took this decision after discussing with his family.
Sobotka told the Courier that he is no longer seeking political office. This is surprising, because the Lower Austrian is known as a consummate politician. He wants to do this until the end of the legislative term. “After the election I will continue to work with full commitment until the constitutional session of the new parliament,” Sobotka says. But then it was over.
“Always wanted to leave on my own terms”
He didn’t want to say what ultimately led him to withdraw from day-to-day politics – “I’m a deeply political person” -. This much: “I always wanted to leave politics on my own initiative and not wait for others to leave me.” Under no circumstances does the opposition continue to criticize him, should he resign or even his bottom line should the ranking trust index matter – more on this Sobotka announced his retirement from politics (ORF.at; 4.6.24).
Sobotka was born on January 5, 1956 in Waidhofen an der Ybbs. His political career began in 1982 when he joined the Wythofen Local Council, where from 1992 he served as Councilor for Finance and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Wythofen People’s Party.
In 1996 he became mayor of Waidhofen an der Ybbs, and in 1998 he joined the Lower Austrian state government as a regional councillor. He was also Deputy Governor of Lower Austria from 2009 to 2016. From April 2016 to December 2017, Sobotka was the Minister of the Interior before becoming the head of the National Council.
Mikl-Leitner: “Commitment” and “Bargain”
State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) thanked and paid tribute to outgoing National Council Chairman Sobotka. “No one lived politics with such passion and dedication as Wolfgang Sobotka. He shows interest in the cause because our country and people’s concerns are important to him. No matter how big or small concerns and challenges, in local politics Waidhofen an der Ybbs, in the state or in the national council, Wolfgang Sobotka has and will always give 150 percent commitment.
He is a statesman who “does not allow himself to be bent, and stands by his convictions, decisions and principles, even in reverse.”
