New Austrian government in place as last party signs off on coalition
Austria's first three-party coalition government will be ready to start work in the coming week after the liberal NEOS approved the coalition on Sunday.
It has been a long haul - five months, to be exact. That's a record for the mountainous country popular with many Europeans as a ski destination.
The three-way coalition includes the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) along with the NEOS. It replaces a government of the ÖVP and the Greens.
This is the second attempt by the three parties to get a government together following parliamentary elections in autumn of last year.
After those talks failed, a coalition between the right-wing FPÖ, which won the election with 28.8% of the vote, and the ÖVP also failed to materialize.
Under pressure from Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS tried again. This time it worked, as the three reached a coalition deal on Thursday, ending five months of political instability. One important motive for working together was to prevent FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl from becoming chancellor.
Sunday's vote clears the way for the swearing-in of the cabinet planned for Monday under the new chancellor and ÖVP leader Christian Stocker.
In the new government, the NEOS will provide the minister of education, Christoph Wiederkehr, and the foreign minister, party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
The ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS have presented a coalition agreement that is more than 200 pages long. Its goals include tighter migration policies, austerity measures to combat the large budget deficit and a cap on rent increases in parts of the housing market.
The new government is committed to continuity in foreign and EU policy. The ÖVP's attempt to form a government with the right-wing FPÖ failed due to differences in EU and security policy. The right-wing populists are extremely sceptical of the EU and are considered friendly towards Russia.
For the liberal NEOS, which were founded in 2012, becoming a part of the Austrian government is a big win. "It really is a historic moment," Meinl-Reisinger said at the beginning of her speech to the party loyals.
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