09/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - Austrian Chancellor, Werner Faymann, resigns. On Monday 9 May, the head of the Social Democratic Party in Austria (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs - SPÖ), Werner Faymann, handed in his resignation, following criticism from the Social Democrat Mayor of Vienna, Michael Häupl. The latter attacked him for adopting a political position on migrants that was close to that of the extreme right. The Current Vice Chancellor, Reinhold Mitterlehner (ÖVP), Conservative, was appointed acting chancellor on Monday afternoon. The resignation of the head of the Austrian executive follows the unprecedented defeat of coalition government parties (SPÖ - ÖVP) by the extreme right and its leader, Norbert Hofer, in the first round of the presidential elections on 24 April last. The SPÖ only obtained 11% of the vote. The coalition government has been in office since 2008 but is now out of the second round of elections on 22 May and which will, for the first time, pit the Greens against the far right. (MD)