Austria: new coalition government sworn in
After several failed rounds of negotiations, Austria now has its first three-party governing coalition, which was sworn in on Monday. The Chancellor of the new "black-red-pink" government is the conservative Christian Stocker (ÖVP), its Vice-Chancellor is SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, and the leader of the liberal Neos party, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, has been appointed Foreign Minister. Commentators voice doubts about how long the coalition will last.
Communication is key
The new government must avoid the mistakes made by Germany's traffic-light coalition, the Tages-Anzeiger warns:
“'Talking brings people together', they say. ... And the new three-way coalition between conservatives, social democrats and the liberal Neos party embodies this principle. The government programme contains very right-wing ideas such as a strict asylum policy, social democratic demands for affordable housing and taxation of large corporations, as well as liberal to neo-liberal positions regarding the dismantling of state structures. ... In Germany a similarly heterogeneous coalition between the Social Democrats, Greens and the FDP known as the 'traffic-light coalition' fell apart last year. Let's hope the Austrian three-way coalition doesn't follow suit and instead sticks to talking and coming closer to each other.”
Conflicting interests as a major risk
The Kleine Zeitung sees obstacles on the path to a functional and effective government:
“Sooner or later - and experience shows that it tends to be sooner in Austria - the clientele logic of the three parties will once again come to the fore. This is inevitable because it is inherent to politics in a democracy fuelled by the mass media. The lofty song of compromise and consensus then gives way to the gospel of individual party interests - and usually the pressure to do so comes from one's own camp within the party of competing camps. ... Only then will we see what the three politicians at the head of the government are really made of. When it comes to management, all three are just apprentices.”
In danger of collapsing (as in Germany)
It won't be long before the first rows break out, the taz predicts:
“All parties want to 'play a bigger role in Europe'. But what exactly does that mean? ... Migration and integration are also likely to be bones of contention. The ÖVP has moved closer to the FPÖ on this issue and would like to see an end to immigration and financial support for immigrants. The SPÖ and Neos take a different view. And then there's the social welfare issue, of course. Decidedly left-wing, the Social Democrats under Andreas Babler have called for wealth and inheritance taxes but were unable to push them through. However, the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. It is these issues that will likely decide whether the government survives or collapses like the German traffic-light coalition.”
Can these rookies manage the chaos?
Seznam Zprávy shares the concern that the new government won't last long:
“One of the reasons is that the cabinet has never before been led by such an inexperienced politician. Lawyer Christian Stocker (64) previously held the post of deputy mayor of Wiener Neustadt, a town of 50,000 inhabitants. ... He entered parliament as a successor and became party leader in January more by chance than anything else. His vice-chancellor, the Social Democrat Andreas Babler (52), was mayor of Traiskirchen with a population of 20,000 before joining the government. Two years ago, he unexpectedly became leader of the Social Democrats. Two people from insignificant towns near Vienna will hardly be able to cope with the chaos in Austrian politics.”
The message has hit home
The Salzburger Nachrichten approves:
“What is written in the 211 pages of the coalition agreement comes quite close to the kind of rapprochement called for by the Austrian President, and which had gone out of fashion. And it is not a compromise that leaves everyone dissatisfied either. All three parties have made concessions. ... In objective terms budget consolidation may be the main focus, but emotionally and socially an effective integration and migration policy is the best way to demonstrate: we have got the message.”
Last chance
This solution makes the best of a difficult situation, Dnevnik observes:
“According to the polls, if a government coalition had failed to materialise the country would have become even more dependent on the FPÖ, whose popularity has increased since the elections. To avoid fresh elections, the parties were therefore forced to set aside their differences and reach an agreement. From their position in government they will now try to put the FPÖ's unleashed genie back into the bottle by working in the people's interest and dispelling the popular discontent. As in Germany, this is perhaps the final push by Austria's established parties to stem the rise of the far right.”
FPÖ's radicalisation will continue
Deutschlandfunk warns against complacency:
“The political manoeuvres of all parties - but especially the ÖVP - have exacerbated the already pronounced disenchantment with politics in Austria. ... The ÖVP is polling worse than ever and is now likely to appoint as chancellor Christian Stocker, who was not the party's top candidate in the election and whose legitimacy can therefore be questioned. And the FPÖ in particular is doing precisely that. The party has already begun to become more radical. It will probably drift further and further into the conspiracy milieu. And as the largest single parliamentary group in the National Council, it will know how to make the most of its instruments and the stage.”