Christian Stocker

Christian Stocker ([ˈkʁɪsti̯an ˈʃtɔkɐ]; born 20 March 1960) is an Austrian politician who has been the 29th chancellor of Austria since March 2025. A member of the People's Party (ÖVP), he has been a member of the National Council since 2019 and acting Chair of the People's Party since 5 January 2025. He had previously served as general secretary of the party from September 2022 to January 2025. On 5 January 2025 he was elected new acting party leader of the People's Party, following the resignation of Chancellor Karl Nehammer. After ruling it out before, Stocker announced the ÖVP's willingness to enter coalition talks with Herbert Kickl and the far-right FPÖ. Coalition talks between ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS previously failed in the aftermath of the 2024 Austrian legislative election. On 27 February 2025, the SPÖ, ÖVP and NEOS announced an agreement to form a coalition government to be led by Stocker as Chancellor.