Mahrer also steps down as President of the Chamber of Commerce

Harald Mahrer (ÖVP) confirmed his resignation as President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) on Thursday afternoon. The pressure on him had become too great over the past few days, involving his own multiple incomes, salaries in the chamber, salary increases for board members, and the associated failed communication. Mahrer did not comment on his successor in his video statement, which was published on Facebook.

"I currently see no possibility of making responsible contributions to a positive future development," Mahrer said in the video. He will ensure an "orderly and timely" handover both in the chamber and in the Economic Association.

Resignation as OeNB President Announced Earlier

Mahrer had already announced his resignation as President of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) on Monday. Apparently, this did not succeed in calming the situation. This also applied to the announcement of analyses and reforms within the chamber. Recently, Mahrer lost more and more support within his own ranks - be it from regional chamber heads or important ÖVP politicians.

His resignation was openly demanded, and by early Thursday afternoon it was considered certain, although it was not yet confirmed. For instance, he still had the support of Economic Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer and State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs Elisabeth Zehetner (both ÖVP).

Mahrer Addressed Entrepreneurs and Employees Directly

Mahrer addressed the entrepreneurs, i.e., his chamber members, as well as the employees in the chamber directly. He referred to many achievements for the members - both domestically and abroad. All of this was based on the foundation of statutory representation of interests "a liberal idea of interest representation."

Mahrer criticized the discussion of the past few days, stating that he had committed to reforms in the chamber and had always emphasized the necessity of very significant reforms in Austria. However, "personal resentment and populism have dominated the media debate of the last few days - without added value for the economy and our country: This is not my playing field."

Succession Question

As Mahrer's successor at the WKÖ helm, the Tyrolean entrepreneur and WKÖ Vice President Martha Schultz was reported in the media. However, some media also believe in an emerging power struggle for Mahrer's succession in the WKÖ. The WKÖ is one of the social partners and is heavily involved in the collective wage negotiations.

Mahrer is also the head of the ÖVP Economic Association. There too, Mahrer wants the succession to be clarified soon. Recently, the Economic Association President has always also been the WKÖ President, with the association ruling absolutely in the chamber. The head of the significant People's Party association is also a member of the ÖVP Federal Party Board.

According to APA information, the heads of the state chambers will meet again with Mahrer for a session on Friday. Mahrer had already resigned as National Bank President at the beginning of the week.

The trigger was the salary increase of the WKÖ staff, partly very high salary increases in the presidencies of the federal and state chambers, as well as Mahrer's failed communication about it. Mahrer was also accused of accumulating many offices.

Mahrer before resignation: Recently only a few supporters left

The "Tiroler Tageszeitung" was the first to report. Then followed the "Kronen Zeitung" and the "Kurier" - each without citing sources. How Mahrer's party job as ÖVP Economic Association Chairman will continue remains open for now.

The resignation was apparently unavoidable for Mahrer. Newspapers had already written on Thursday that he was on the verge of stepping down. He himself is said to have attempted a defensive fight for his position. Recently, only the Minister of Economy Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer and the State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy Elisabeth Zehetner (both ÖVP) publicly supported him.

(APA/Red)

The man "from the economy" Harald Mahrer leaves WKÖ leadership

"No half measures": Now Harald Mahrer is also stepping down as President of the Chamber of Commerce, which he actually wanted to avoid by his previous resignation as National Bank President. But in the end, it apparently didn't work out for one of the last personnel remnants of the turquoise era of the Kurz-ÖVP. Mahrer has not only lost the support of entrepreneurs but also in his People's Party and in the chamber dominated by the ÖVP Economic Association.

As of Thursday afternoon, Mahrer has not yet officially announced his departure from the WKÖ, and the Chamber of Commerce has also not confirmed anything. However, unofficially and thanks to consistent media reports, it can be assumed. According to APA information, there will be another meeting of Mahrer with the heads of the regional chambers of commerce on Friday. After that, it is expected to be officially communicated at the latest. If he were to stay, he would face a fate as a "lame duck," said ÖVP expert Heidi Glück. When he announced his withdrawal from the central bank, he said he did not want to do things halfway and wanted to fully concentrate on the chamber - but it will not come to that now.

"I Come from the Business World"

Among company representatives whose businesses are mandatory members of the chamber, Mahrer never had as strong support as his predecessor Christoph Leitl. Leitl ran a medium-sized company, Mahrer was a PR entrepreneur. But it was precisely the botched public relations surrounding salary increases in the Chamber of Commerce, high salary increases in the presidencies of the federal and regional chambers of commerce that cost the man, who always emphasized "I come from the business world," the job as Austria's top business lobbyist. Those who suffer damage do not need to worry about ridicule.

Mahrer always presented himself as cosmopolitan, the big international stage was his. He thrived, for example, when there were large networking meetings of the WKÖ's foreign trade in Singapore. It cannot be denied that he was committed to the internationalization of the domestic economy. However, with the companies that only operate at home and struggle daily with rising costs, he did not resonate. Critics accuse Mahrer of being aloof and acting like a politician, not like an entrepreneur. Statements like those that the services of the Chamber of Commerce simply need to be better presented and communicated were far from sufficient.

Mahrer Was Considered an Office Accumulator

Mahrer was considered by many to be an accumulator of various offices or positions. For years, he was the man for economic policy jobs for which the ÖVP needed someone. He had a "yesterday's tendency to accumulate offices," but then renounced an office that was not up for debate, said political scientist Ferdinand Karlhofer recently.

Mahrer started his career after studying business administration in a political field, namely as chairman of the student union at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Subsequently, the Vienna-born on March 27, 1973, dedicated himself primarily to the consulting and PR industry. He founded legend Consulting GmbH and led the Austrian communications consultancy Pleon Publico for several years.

Mahrer made the leap into top politics in September 2014 as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. With the departure of Reinhold Mitterlehner (ÖVP) in May 2017, he rose to become Minister of Economy and Science for a little more than half a year. Later that year, he became head of the ÖVP Economic Association and then of the Chamber of Commerce (2018), where the Economic Association holds sway in its parliament. Now Mahrer will likely have to reorient himself. He already owns and runs a consulting company called HM Tauern Holding Beteiligungsgesellschaft m.b.H. based in Spittal in Carinthia.

(By Philip Stotter/APA)
(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.