Austria Creates Government Coalition Without ‘Putin's Friends’
- 27.02.2025, 13:41
The Austrian Freedom Party was left behind.
The Austrian liberal party NEOS, the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) have agreed to form a three-party government coalition in Austria. This should put an end to the protracted political crisis in the country, where the far-right Austrian Freedom Party won the elections in September 2024, writes New Voice.
The three parties announced the formation of a new government coalition on the morning of February 27, according to the Austrian portal APA.
Today, the Austrian parliament will present the program of the new government. It will be formed without the participation of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, which won the elections in the autumn of 2024 — since then, long rounds of negotiations on the formation of a coalition have continued. As Reuters reminds, this is the longest period for the formation of a new Austrian government after elections since the Second World War. This will be the first three-party government in Austria since 1949.
The chancellor of Austria is likely to be the leader of the centrist Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) Christian Stocker, who recently headed this political force.
The new government is expected to commit to tightening Austria's migration policy, in particular with regard to the right to receive asylum in the country. These measures will concern the restriction of the right to family reunification for migrants, and a ban on the wearing of traditional Muslim headdresses for minors is also planned. At the same time, the government of the future Austria plans to maintain the development program of the Austrian armed forces, as well as the country's participation in Sky Shield (Sky Shield) — a project for an integrated European air defense system (AD), which includes anti-ballistic capabilities.
The parliamentary elections in Austria were held on September 29, 2024. The far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won them, receiving a record 57 mandates (26 more than in 2019). This political force opposes migrants, the “Islamization” of the country, and is in favor of stronger relations between Austria and Russia. The leader of the Austrian far-right, Herbert Kickl, is a well-known regional ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakian Robert Fico. Kickl and his party have sharply criticized Ukraine and the European Union, and are also supporters of friendship with Russia.