Austria on the home stretch: The Zuckerl coalition is imminent!

Austria on the home stretch: The Zuckerl coalition is imminent!

In Austria, the “post carousel” has gained momentum: a new government coalition made up of the conservative ÖVP, the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the liberal NEOS is virtually just around the corner. Loud Krone.at Almost all ministries have already been assigned and the timetable for swearing in the new government has been set. This “candy coalition” is expected to consist of 14 ministers, three state secretaries and the chancellor, which corresponds to an almost even distribution between the parties.

The ÖVP and the SPÖ are expected to nominate six ministers and a state secretary each, while the NEOS is expected to receive two ministers and a state secretary. The current comparison of the strengths of both parties shows the ÖVP with 26.27 percent, the SPÖ with 21.14 percent and the NEOS with 9.14 percent. This is a huge step after several failed coalition talks, especially with the right-wing populist FPÖ. How ZDF.de reported, Federal President Alexander van der Bellen signaled after a meeting with the party leaders that progress had been made and that the coalition now appeared to be on the home stretch.

The backgrounds

Coalition negotiations have gained momentum after failed talks in January when the three parties decided to make a new attempt. Van der Bellen emphasized the need for compromise in order to overcome political deadlocks. He highlighted that the formation of such a coalition would take place for the first time at the federal level, after previous attempts had failed.

The public mood is tense, especially after the massive protests against a possible FPÖ-led government, which mobilized tens of thousands of people. It now remains to be seen how the new constellation in Austrian politics will develop and the impact of this coalition on the government's upcoming challenges.