The centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ), and the liberal NEOS party announced a coalition deal on Thursday, February 27th, ending the five-month search for Austria’s new government.
The three parties will have a stable majority in the parliament, and the party leaders said they had put aside “party political interests” for the sake of compromise, and for the sake of Austria.
Nach zwei Wochen intensiver Verhandlungen, bei denen wir an die Ergebnisse aus dem Herbst angeknüpft haben und die oft bis in die Nachtstunden hinein gedauert haben – den Durchbruch geschafft haben. Wir haben zwischen Volkspartei, Sozialdemokratie und NEOS eine Einigung erzielt.…
— Christian Stocker (@_CStocker) February 27, 2025
This apparent patriotic self-sacrifice sounds disingenuous as it was the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) that in fact won the national elections in September. Austrians had voted for change following a series of governments led by either the ÖVP or the SPÖ that had failed to address the biggest crises of the past decade—such as illegal migration, soaring energy prices, and economic hardship.
The centrist government, which will be led by ÖVP leader Christian Stocker, has been mocked by conservative media outlet Exxpress as the “traffic light coalition” of Austria—a term used to describe the unpopular outgoing German government which consisted of left-wing and liberal parties.
The events in Austria mimic those in Germany where the centre-right CDU/CSU alliance rebuked the offer of the second-placed right-wing AfD party, and is now on course to resurrect its traditional—and failed—partnership with the Social Democrats, a format the majority of Germans were keen to avoid.
Announcing the new Austrian government’s programme on Thursday, Christian Stocker made it clear that his party would make a U-turn on its campaign promises in order to accommodate the demands of the Social Democrats.
The ÖVP had promised to halt illegal immigration; instead, only family reunifications for asylum seekers will be put on hold. The SPÖ also pushed through the introduction of new taxes to fill the gap in the budget, something that the People’s Party had adamantly rejected, and which was an issue that caused previous talks between the three parties to collapse.
SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, a self-proclaimed Marxist, announced a levy on banks and real estate deals.
The politician also threatened to censor social media platforms, stressing that there was a need to clamp down on Islamist propaganda as well as “right-wing extremist content.” Babler’s words come after caretaker interior minister Gerhard Karner recently suggested a mass surveillance of online messaging services following the terrorist attack in Villach a few days ago.
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl said such a move would “pave the way to a police state,” and that the authorities should instead be focusing on the prevention of migrant criminals entering Austria.
The centrist leaders also announced a headscarf ban for girls—with the intention of integrating Muslims into society—,a mandatory integration programme for asylum seekers, and a freeze on rent prices.
In the new government, the ÖVP will hold the chancellery as well as the interior, the defence, the economy, and agriculture portfolios. The SPÖ will be responsible for finance, justice, social affairs, and transport, while NEOS will get the foreign affairs ministry.
Earlier this week, Herbert Kickl reacted to the coalition deal by saying that instead of a “real political U-turn,” the country is being threatened with “more debt, rising inflation, and the continuation of illegal mass immigration.”
