VIENNA — Christian Stocker was sworn in as Austria’s new chancellor on Monday, leading a three-party coalition that was 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 reached an agreement last week after their initial coalition attempt failed in January. On Sunday, Neos grassroots members voted decisively in favor of the coalition deal with the other two parties, clearing the way for the three to take office.
Andreas Babler, leader of the SPÖ, has been sworn in as vice chancellor. Alexander Van der Bellen, the president of Austria, made a jest during the ceremony when he swore in the new government, saying, “Good things come to those who wait.” He was alluding to the fact that the coalition negotiations had taken five months, the longest in the nation’s history.
When Austrians went to the polls last September, Stocker’s name was not initially on the ballot, and the 64-year-old has never held a position in a national government. After early talks between the three parties failed, former chancellor Karl Nehammer resigned in January, leaving him to take over as head of ÖVP. A former attorney, Stocker joined the Austrian parliament in 2019 and was the party’s general secretary from September 2022 till taking Nehammer’s post.
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