Outgoing Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) is set to take over as Governor of Salzburg on July 2, succeeding Wilfried Haslauer. This decision was made by the board of the Salzburg People’s Party on Thursday. Starting February 1, the 43-year-old will become the party’s managing chairperson. For a long time, Deputy Governor Stefan Schnöll was considered Haslauer’s “crown prince.” However, he declined the position last Saturday.
Schnöll (36) had already taken over key responsibilities and portfolios from Haslauer after the 2023 election. As he explained on Thursday, he decided not to become governor due to the heavy workload and his family commitments, but he will remain as deputy governor. Schnöll has a young son and daughter. Edtstadler had recently announced her withdrawal from federal politics to work as a lawyer in Salzburg, initially according to the official line. However, as Haslauer explained today, she had been offered the role of deputy governor under Schnöll, a plan that led to the current reshuffle after Schnöll’s refusal.
Edtstadler is set to be officially elected as party chair at the ÖVP’s regional congress on June 13, and she will then face a hearing in the state parliament. Salzburg assumed the presidency of the Conference of Governors on January 1 for a six-month period. Haslauer will complete this role and officially step down on July 2. On the same day, Edtstadler will be elected governor in the state parliament. There will be no change in the ÖVP government team, although there may be adjustments in the distribution of portfolios.
To become governor, Edtstadler will need a majority in the state parliament, likely requiring the votes of the FPÖ, the ÖVP’s coalition partner in the state. If the Freedom Party does not vote for Edtstadler, this could lead to a coalition shift or new elections. Haslauer referred to the existing coalition agreement with the FPÖ: “We have a very clear arrangement here. It is the right of any party to nominate a government member, and the other partner agrees.” FPÖ leader Marlene Svazek has been informed. Edtstadler stated that she has a good personal relationship with Svazek, and they had already spoken on the phone.
The FPÖ, however, initially expressed distance toward the proposed leadership change. In a first reaction, the Salzburg FPÖ stated that the decision to make Karoline Edtstadler governor came unexpectedly and was made at short notice. Party leader Marlene Svazek said in a statement that the original arrangement was that Deputy Governor Schnöll would be the designated successor. The ÖVP’s decision to make someone who has never run for the Salzburg state parliament governor did not fully meet these expectations. Svazek announced she would call a meeting of the party’s decision-making bodies to assess the new situation and discuss the FPÖ’s next steps.
Edtstadler would become the second female governor of Salzburg after Gabi Burgstaller (2004–2013).
The process to re-position the Salzburg ÖVP has been underway since last year and is aimed at restructuring the party by summer 2025. Haslauer, who has been part of the state government since 2004 and governor since 2013, will complete twelve years in office by spring 2025—matching the tenure of his father, who served from 1977 to 1989. It is said that Haslauer values this milestone.
