New Austrian Government Sworn In Excluding Pro-Russian Parties
Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen has sworn in the country's new three-party government, which was formed after five months of negotiations, APA reports.
Christian Stocker (Austrian People's Party, ÖVP) was sworn in as Federal Chancellor on Monday morning in Vienna's Hofburg. The ÖVP leader heads the first federal government formed by the People's Party, the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and NEOS. The government consists of 14 members and has seven state secretariats.
The Austrian Federal Chancellery told Ukrinform news agency that the new government did not include pro-Russian far-right forces.
Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner, Minister of Defence Claudia Tanner and Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig (all from the ÖVP) retained their positions in the previous coalition. Former state secretary Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP) was appointed to a ministerial post. Former transport minister Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ) will now become state secretary in the Ministry of the Interior.
All three party leaders - Christian Stocker, new Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and new Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) - are part of the federal government for the first time.
Federal President Van der Bellen said he was ‘very pleased’ that all parties were able to overcome their differences during the negotiations.
He stressed that the government should support both the economy and the welfare state. He also emphasised the importance of strategically securing peace in Austria and Europe. The President called climate change ‘one of the greatest threats of our time’ and noted that it is impossible to postpone the fight against it. He also called for ‘smart’ regulation of migration and integration. In his opinion, it is necessary to strengthen liberal democracy, which is under threat from populism and the spread of fake news. In the end, Van der Bellen wished the government ‘good luck’ in fulfilling its tasks.
The day before, the last obstacle to forming a government was removed - the general meeting of the liberal NEOS party supported a coalition with the Austrian People's Party and the Social Democrats.
On 27 February, it became known that three Austrian political forces had agreed to form a coalition government without the participation of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, which won the most votes in the September elections.
As The Gaze previously reported, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European Integration recently expressed support for Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after incomplete talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House. ‘We stand with Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor, and we share Ukraine's aspirations for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,’ the ministry said on its website.