Stunned developments in SPÖ-Carinthia: contenders emerge for Kaiser's successor

After 15 years at the helm, Peter Kaiser's era as chairman of SPÖ Carinthia comes to an end on the date of the upcoming conference. This marks the end of his tenure as both the party chairman and state governor of Carinthia, a position he has held since 2013.

Two applications for his succession have been submitted, with Landesrat Daniel Fellner and Wolfgang Rami, a simple party member from Klagenfurt, as the contenders. The identity of the second applicant was revealed by SPÖ Carinthia party business manager Andreas Sucher on Sunday.

The election commission will scrutinise the applications next week, ensuring their accuracy and compliance with membership requirements. To run at the conference, a candidate needs the support of two-thirds of the present eligible delegates.

The state party conference for the selection of the new chairman is scheduled for September 20. Further candidates can still run for the party chairmanship at this conference.

The application of Wolfgang Rami came as a surprise, as he is not a well-known figure within the party. The second candidate for the chairmanship was not provided with further details by Andreas Sucher.

The state party board will meet on Thursday to discuss the applications. The application deadline for the chairmanship was on Saturday at midnight. Andreas Babler, the federal party chairman and Vice-Chancellor, is expected to attend the conference.

The upcoming conference promises to be an exciting event, as the Social Democrats in Carinthia embark on a new chapter under their new leader. The race for the chairmanship is expected to be a close one, with both Daniel Fellner and Wolfgang Rami vying for the position.