Mayer wins Salzburg deputy governor post despite coalition dissent

Wolfgang Mayer of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) was elected Salzburg’s deputy governor on Wednesday despite what appear to have been two dissenting votes from the governing coalition, ORF reported.

Of 35 votes cast in the Salzburg state parliament, 20 were in favour and 15 against. One member of the opposition Communist Party (KPÖ) was absent. The three opposition parties had said in advance they would not support Mayer, leaving them with 13 votes on Wednesday. The result therefore suggests that two members of the ÖVP and Freedom Party (FPÖ) did not vote for him.

FPÖ leader Marlene Svazek had also expressed little enthusiasm for the ÖVP’s choice, saying the party was repeatedly testing her sense of responsibility for the state.

Mayer, 47, succeeds Stefan Schnöll, who is leaving politics for the private sector in January 2027. As deputy governor, Mayer will oversee finance, transport and health. At a hearing in the state parliament on Monday, he promised cooperation based on equality and respect.

A political professional who had mostly worked behind the scenes, Mayer began his career with the ÖVP in 2003. He was director of the party’s city council group in Salzburg from 2004 to 2009, then became political director of the state party. He was appointed state party manager in 2011 and entered the state parliament in 2013. From 2021, he led the ÖVP group there. He also served on Salzburg’s city council from 2019 to 2024.

Mayer resigned as ÖVP Salzburg secretary-general in January 2025 after Wilfried Haslauer stepped down as governor, and became a partner in a public relations agency. His successor in the state parliament will be Sandra Hasenauer, the ÖVP women’s leader and deputy mayor of Saalbach-Hinterglemm.