Five months after its election, Austria will finally have a government — without the party that got the most votes.
It will be the country’s first three-party coalition since the 1940s, and will take office next week provided all three parties sign off on the deal by that time.
There is some concern that members of Neos, the most junior coalition member with only 9% of the vote, might not be that enthused about the deal. Two-thirds of party lawmakers must agree to deal at a summit on Sunday.
The coalition deal sidelines the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), who with 28.8% of the vote were the strongest party in September’s election. The FPÖ tried to form a government, but coalition talks collapsed earlier this month.
Far-right decries ‘coalition of losers’
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl called it a “coalition of losers” and called for a snap election. His Russia-friendly, anti-immigration party won 29% of the vote in September but could not make a coalition deal work with the ÖVP.
Austrian political analysts noted that the possible three-way coalition faces several major hurdles on top of a struggling economy. The ÖVP, SPÖ, and Neos already tried to form a coalition once in the fall and failed. Their policy differences represent a major challenge to forming a cohesive government.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
DW News
