Latest news with #Nehammer
Saudi Gazette
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Center-right leader Christian Stocker sworn in as new Austrian chancellor
VIENNA — Christian Stocker was sworn in as Austria's new chancellor on Monday, heading a three-party coalition government formed five months after last year's election. Stocker's center-right People's Party (ÖVP), the center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos clinched a deal last week after their first attempt to form a coalition failed in January. Grassroots members of the Neos voted overwhelmingly in favor of the coalition agreement with the two other parties on Sunday, removing the last obstacle for the three to take office. The SPÖ's leader Andreas Babler has been sworn in as vice-chancellor. 'Good things come to those who wait,' Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen joked at the ceremony as he swore in the new government, referencing the five months coalition negotiations had taken — the longest in the country's history. Stocker, 64, has never served in a national government, and his name was not originally on the ballot when Austrians headed to the polls last September. He took over the role of ÖVP's head from former chancellor Karl Nehammer, who resigned in January when initial negotiations between the three parties broke down. A former lawyer, Stocker has been a member of the Austrian parliament since 2019 and served as general secretary of the party from September 2022 until he replaced Nehammer. The country's new chancellor said he didn't even expect to be made leader of the ÖVP when Nehammer resigned. "The day the decision was taken, I drove to Vienna in jeans and a roll-neck jumper," Stocker told Austrian daily Die Presse. "A few hours later, I had to ask for a suit and tie to be brought to me," he revealed. Stocker has expressed his commitment to the European Union and is critical of Russia — policies that clashed with the leader of the far-right Austria's Freedom Party (FPÖ), Hebert Kickl, who came first in the election with 28% of the vote. After Kickl's own negotiations to form a coalition with the ÖVP fell apart, the controversial winner of the election now remains locked in opposition. Stocker will head the Alpine country's first three-party coalition since the later 1940s. The coalition agreement, unveiled last week, includes introducing stricter measures for asylum seekers, revising tenancy laws and implementing planned benefits cuts. — Euronews
Euronews
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Centre-right ÖVP's Christian Stocker sworn in as new Austrian chancellor
Christian Stocker was sworn in as Austria's new chancellor on Monday, heading a three-party coalition government formed five months after last year's election. Stocker's centre-right People's Party (ÖVP), the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos clinched a deal last week after their first attempt to form a coalition failed in January. Grassroots members of the Neos voted overwhelmingly in favour of the coalition agreement with the two other parties on Sunday, removing the last obstacle for the three to take office. The SPÖ's leader Andreas Babler has been sworn in as vice-chancellor. 'Good things come to those who wait,' Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen joked at the ceremony as he swore in the new government, referencing the five months coalition negotiations had taken — the longest in the country's history. Stocker, 64, has never served in a national government, and his name was not originally on the ballot when Austrians headed to the polls last September. He took over the role of ÖVP's head from former chancellor Karl Nehammer, who resigned in January when initial negotiations between the three parties broke down. A former lawyer, Stocker has been a member of Austrian parliament since 2019 and served as general secretary of the party from September 2022 until he replaced Nehammer. The country's new chancellor said he didn't even expect to be made leader of the ÖVP when Nehammer resigned. "The day the decision was taken, I drove to Vienna in jeans and a roll-neck jumper," Stocker told Austrian daily Die Presse. "A few hours later, I had to ask for a suit and tie to be brought to me," he revealed. Stocker has expressed his commitment to the European Union and is critical of Russia — policies that clashed with the leader of the far-right Austria's Freedom Party (FPÖ), Hebert Kickl, who came first in the election with 28% of the vote. After Kickl's own negotiations to form a coalition with the ÖVP fell apart, the controversial winner of the election now remains locked in opposition. Stocker will head the Alpine country's first three-party coalition since the later 1940s. The coalition agreement, unveiled last week, includes introducing stricter measures for asylum seekers, revising tenancy laws and implementing planned benefits cuts.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austria's new government takes office after a 5-month wait for a new administration
VIENNA (AP) — Austria's new government took office on Monday, with Christian Stocker taking over as chancellor at the head of a three-party coalition after a five-month wait for a new administration. The new government will have to deal with rising unemployment, a recession and a creaking budget. Its coalition agreement, reached on Thursday after the longest negotiations in post-World War II Austria, foresees strict new asylum rules in the European Union country of 9 million people. This is the country's first three-party government, bringing together Stocker's conservative Austrian People's Party, the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal Neos. The alliance in the political center came together only at the second attempt after the far-right Freedom Party emerged as the strongest political force in a parliamentary election on Sept. 29. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. A first attempt collapsed in early January, prompting the resignation of then-Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who had said his party wouldn't work under Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl. Stocker took over from Nehammer as leader of the People's Party and went into negotiations with Kickl on a possible coalition, but those collapsed on Feb. 12 amid mutual finger-pointing. The three parties in the center then renewed their effort to find common ground, heading off the possibility of an early election. Stocker, 64, becomes chancellor although he wasn't running for the job when Austrians voted in September and hasn't served in a national government before. Social Democratic leader Andreas Babler is the new vice chancellor. Neos leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger takes over as foreign minister from Alexander Schallenberg, who also served as interim chancellor for the past two months after Nehammer's resignation and isn't part of the new Cabinet.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Austria offers to host Ukraine peace negotiations, ambassador says
Austria is open to hosting Ukraine peace talks, Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine Arad Benko said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine on Feb. 21. With U.S.-led peace talks to stop Russia's war against Ukraine looming, various countries have put themselves forward as potential hosts for . "(Austrian) Chancellor (Karl) Nehammer emphasized that as the capital of a neutral country, Vienna is always ready to host future ," Benko in an interview with RBC-Ukraine on Feb. 21. has a history of hosting opposing sides for talks. The country hosted leaders of the U.S. and Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, Benko said. "Austria, as a neutral country, has offered its good services as a host of negotiations between parties involved. It's important to point out that Austria is also a seat of 52 international organizations including 18 UN organizations," he said. Austria, a permanently neutral nation under its constitution, hosts various international agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency () and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (). Ukraine and the must be involved in the peace talks alongside and the U.S., Benko added, echoing in Europe that the U.S. should not exclude Europe and Ukraine from peace talks. must participate in potential peace talks "not only because we are the biggest donors but because Ukraine is a European country fighting for our values and freedom," Benko said. Nehammer previously proposed Vienna as a site of talks between Kyiv and Moscow in September 2024. The Austrian chancellor reiterated the offer in a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in December. Nehammer also became the first EU leader to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin following the full-scale invasion in February 2022. He visited Moscow in April 2022, claiming it was his duty to open "humanitarian corridors" as a step towards ending the war. Other countries that have volunteered to host future peace talks include Turkey, China, and Saudi Arabia. U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 for preliminary talks without the participation of Ukraine or Europe. Kyiv continues to insist that no talks about ending Russia's all-out war should be held without Ukraine. Read also: How Trump could help Russia achieve the original aim of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Austrian far-right leader's efforts to form a new government collapse
VIENNA (AP) — Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said Wednesday that his talks on forming a coalition government with a conservative party have collapsed. Austria's president gave Kickl a mandate to try to form a new government on Jan. 6 after other parties' efforts to put together a governing alliance without his Freedom Party failed. But his talks with the conservative Austrian People's Party appeared increasingly troubled in recent days, with constant talk of policy differences and a clash over who would get which ministries. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. On Wednesday, Kickl informed President Alexander Van der Bellen that he was giving up the mandate to form what would have been the first national government headed by the far right since World War II. The announcement comes after several weeks of tense negotiations that have been marred with leaks to the media highlighting the lack of trust between the two parties. Kickl's anti-immigration and euroskeptic party, which opposes sanctions against Russia, won Austria's parliamentary election in September. It took 28.8% of the vote and beat then Chancellor Karl Nehammer's People's Party into second place. But in October, President Alexander Van der Bellen gave Nehammer the first chance to form a new government after Nehammer's party said that it wouldn't go into government with the Freedom Party under Kickl and others refused to work with the Freedom Party at all. Those negotiations collapsed in the first few days of the new year and Nehammer resigned, making way for interim Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg. Kickl pointed the finger at the People's Party for the collapse. In a letter to the president released by his party, he said that his prospective parties had insisted on sharing out the ministries in a new government before clearing up disputed policy points and they had been unable to reach an agreement. 'I do not take this step without regret,' he added. But he said that there appeared to be no point in trying to negotiate with the center-left Social Democrats, the only other party with which the Freedom Party could reach a parliamentary majority. It has refused to work with Kickl's party. 'Austria has no time to waste,' Kickl said. It wasn't immediately clear what would happen next. Typically, that would be for the president to say. One potential scenario is that he will appoint a caretaker government while a more permanent solution is sought. Peter Filzmaier, one of Austria's leading political scientists, said that the negotiations had been turned into a 'bizarre drama on the public stage.' In recent days, the talks have been marked by ongoing disputes over the allocation of key government ministries, especially the Interior Ministry. Both political parties exchanged proposals, with every exchanged document immediately being leaked to the media. The People's Party firmly insisted on retaining control of the Interior Ministry. They reference the contentious actions of Kickl, who served as interior minister in 2018 when an illegal raid was ordered on the domestic intelligence agency. The Freedom Party remained determined to secure control of the Interior Ministry, asserting that migration and asylum fall within the party's 'core competencies.' A confidential protocol summarizing the state of ongoing talks was leaked over the weekend and has circulated widely. The document reveals insights into several demands from the Freedom Party, all of which have been rejected by the People's Party. The leaked information indicates significant differences between the two political parties, particularly in the areas of foreign and security policy, as well as their positions on the European Union. At the beginning of coalition talks in early January, conservative party leader Christian Stocker had already established priorities for negotiations with the Freedom Party that the conservative party wants to see reflected in the distribution of ministries. Stocker repeatedly stressed his party's priorities in the course of the past weeks, saying that he wanted to protect Austria's sovereignty and prevent undue foreign influence, particularly from Russia, preserve Austria's role as a reliable partner in the EU, and safeguard liberal democracy. ___ Geir Moulson contributed to this report from Berlin. ___ A previous version of this story corrected the second paragraph to say 'without,' not 'with' the Freedom Party.
