ÖVP Federal Party Executive Board to Discuss Walter Ruck's Expulsion

The ÖVP Ethics Council, chaired by Waltraud Klasnic, already met in the afternoon, as the former Styrian governor confirmed to APA. A meeting with Ruck planned for the coming week to discuss the "ongoing media campaign" was cancelled after the Chamber of Commerce president had been asked to submit "a statement" by Friday at 12:00 p.m. This surprised him, Ruck wrote in a letter to the Federal Party Executive Board, which is available to APA.

Background of the Allegations

The background to the affair is leaked minutes of conversations reported over the weekend by "Kronen Zeitung" and "profil." According to these, Ruck is said to have spoken in a small circle about his alleged influence on ÖVP candidate lists and made disparaging remarks about party allies and industry representatives. "profil" and "Presse" also published on Friday allegations concerning a loophole in the Chamber of Commerce law that allegedly helped the ÖVP Economic Association secure a majority in the Vienna Economic Parliament.

Walter Ruck emphatically rejects the allegations in his letter to the Executive Board. "Seit Beginn dieser Kampagne gegen die Selbstverwaltung und meine Person habe ich darauf hingewiesen, dass die veröffentlichten Aussagen von mir nicht bestätigt werden können," he affirmed. There is "not a single, legally relevant allegation." Instead, the controversy centered on "flippish, private remarks attributed to me." The quotes are excerpts "aus einer potenziell illegalen Tonaufnahme," whose authenticity — "so eine authentische Aufnahme überhaupt existiert" — he cannot verify.

Ruck Rejects the Allegations

The Chamber of Commerce president announced that he would not step down from his offices even in the event of expulsion from the party. Ruck wrote that he had not, up to now, "den Kampagnenmachern den Gefallen getan, ihre durchschaubaren Manöver durch Äußerungen meinerseits aufzuwerten." "Unabhängig davon werde ich als Obmann des Wiener Wirtschaftsbundes und Präsident der Wiener Wirtschaftskammer wie bisher mit vollem Herzblut für den Wiener Wirtschaftsstandort arbeiten."

In the letter, Ruck expresses "surprise" ("verwundert") about reports claiming the Federal Party Executive Board planned his expulsion. "Mit großem Interesse habe ich Medienberichten entnommen, dass der heutige Bundesparteivorstand plant, mich aus der ÖVP auszuschließen," the letter available to APA reads. If one believes media reports, the decision on expulsion had already been made before the meeting — Ruck therefore said he was "sehr gespannt auf die schriftliche Begründung eines eventuellen Ausschlusses."

Criticism from Within the Party's Own Ranks

In recent days, several high-ranking ÖVP politicians sharply criticized Ruck's behavior and demanded his expulsion. Salzburg Governor Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) stated on the Ö1 Midday Journal on Thursday that Ruck should face consequences. When asked whether this meant resignation, Edtstadler said, according to ORF: "Ja." The former ÖVP federal minister also criticized Ruck's view of women in the leaked minutes as "nicht vergangenes Jahrhundert, das ist 200 Jahre zurück."

Women's Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) also voiced sharp criticism. "Das Konzept von 'exklusiven Herrenrunden' zeugt von einem verstaubten Politikverständnis, das im Jahr 2026 nichts mehr zu suchen hat," said the SPÖ women's leader. The decisive thing now is "endlich dafür zu sorgen, dass über Funktionen, Karrieren und Einfluss nicht länger geschlossene Männernetzwerke entscheiden, sondern transparente und nachvollziehbare Verfahren." If the recorded passages are accurate, then such things have "im 21. Jahrhundert in einer Politik in Österreich nichts verloren."

Disagreement Within the SPÖ

Within the SPÖ, the stance on the Ruck matter was not uniform. While Holzleitner and SPÖ chief Andreas Babler — as emerged from the Ö1 Midday Journal — considered expulsion the correct course, Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) was notably more reserved. According to ORF, Ludwig described Ruck as an "umsichtigen und vertrauensvollen Gesprächspartner." ÖVP women's leader Elisabeth Korosec sharply criticized this approach and expressed "surprise" ("verwundert") that Ludwig was "so die Stange hält" to the Vienna Chamber of Commerce chief.

ÖVP Vienna representative Gabriela Bauer followed up, telling ORF: "Es ist einzig die SPÖ Wien und der rote Bürgermeister Wiens, der nach wie vor Walter Ruck die Stange hält und es vollkommen okay findet, welches Bild von Politik und von Frauen in der Politik hier gezeichnet wird." Holzleitner countered that Ludwig advocated a more nuanced view: "In so einer Situation muss jeder selbst wissen, was zu tun ist."

Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) adopted a more restrained stance in the regional newspapers despite fundamentally criticizing Ruck: "Ich sehe es nicht als meine Aufgabe, ihn aus Vorarlberg zum Rücktritt aufzufordern," Wallner said. A spokesperson for Ruck emphasized on Thursday evening: "Walter Ruck tritt nicht zurück."

Ruck's Career

Walter Ruck has headed the Vienna Chamber of Commerce since 2014 and is chairman of the Vienna ÖVP Economic Association. Born in August 1963 in Vienna, he is a trained civil engineer and master builder. In 2005, he became provincial guild master for construction, later serving as chairman of the Trades and Crafts division. He succeeded Brigitte Jank in 2014, when she stepped down both as Chamber of Commerce president and as head of the Vienna Economic Association. According to "profil" and "Presse," at the most recent Chamber of Commerce election in spring 2025, Ruck reportedly exploited a loophole in the Chamber of Commerce law to benefit his faction.

Under Ruck's leadership, the "Alles Gurgelt" COVID testing program, launched jointly with the City of Vienna, became one of the Chamber's most high-profile projects. In 2019, the Chamber consolidated its offices scattered across the city into a central building at Praterstern. For members, relief was recently announced: the chamber levy is to be reduced by 25 percent by 2029. A recently signed continuation of the "Future Agreement" with the city is considered a further highlight of the cooperation.

Consequences and Outlook

The ÖVP in Vienna, however, was not able to benefit directly from this chamber work; in elections, it repeatedly landed below the ten-percent mark. Ruck himself sees the affair as an attempt at a targeted campaign against him and the economic self-administration. He intends to retain his position as president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce — regardless of the outcome of the ÖVP's internal deliberations.

The editorial teams of "profil" and "Krone" have meanwhile defended their reporting. "Wir berichten über Ruck aus genau zwei Gründen: weil wir die Fragen 'Ist es wahr?' und 'Ist es relevant?' mit Ja beantworten konnten," the editorial teams said. The minutes made Ruck "endgültig zur Causa."

Late on Friday evening, the ÖVP leadership is to decide whether internal party pressure will lead to formal expulsion proceedings. Ruck, in any case, has announced that he will not bow to this decision — should it be taken — and intends to continue exercising his functions in the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Association.