Christian Stocker was sworn in on Monday as the new Chancellor of Austria, leading a three-party coalition government after a five-month political deadlock following last year’s elections, which were won by the far-right Freedom Party.
The new governing coalition consists of the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ), and the liberal Neos party.
During the oath-taking ceremony, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen greeted him with a joke about the formation of the government, saying, “Good things come to those who wait.”
Stocker, a lawyer with no prior executive experience, now leads Austria’s first three-party government since the late 1940s. He is the third ÖVP chancellor to assume the position for the first time without leading the party during the election campaign.
Stocker is an Austrian politician and a member of the People’s Party (ÖVP). He served as a member of the National Council from 2019 until his appointment as Chancellor and held the position of Secretary-General of the People’s Party from January 21 to September 22, 2022. On January 5, 2025, he was elected interim chairman of the People’s Party following the resignation of Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
The coalition agreement was reached last week, and the final obstacle was cleared on Sunday when it was approved by the general assembly of the liberal Neos party.
Although the three parties have agreed on a 200-page government program, they will still need to develop many other policies during the term, which could create tensions within the alliance.
“Will it be easy? No. Are the negotiations over? No,” said Beate Meinl-Resinger, the leader of Neos, at a party meeting on Sunday.
The Freedom Party (FPÖ) will continue to apply pressure and has already started this since Monday.
“The only thing that unites this losing coalition is their thirst for power,” the FPÖ said on X, referring to the three-party coalition.
