Austria heads for right-leaning coalition

Author (Person)
Series Title
Series Details 15-16.10.17
Publication Date 15/10/2017
Content Type

Background
Austria's ruling centrist coalition between the social democratic SPÖ [SPOe] and conservative ÖVP (Austrian People's Party's) was plunged into a crisis by the resignation of ÖVP Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner on the 10 May 2017.

Austria foreign minister and fellow ÖVP member Sebastian Kurz said on the 12 May 2017 that 'I believe early elections are the right way forward'.

It was expected that Reinhold Mitterlehner would also resign as leader of the ÖVP and be replaced by Sebastian Kurz.

Sebastian Kurz was elected to be the acting leader of the Austrian Peoples Party on the 14 May 2017 and said that an autumn 2017 election was likely.

Christian Kern was the incumbent Chancellor of Austria and chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). He admitted on the 14 May 2017 that the governing coalition with the ÖVP had shattered and that an election was inevitable.

On the 16 May 2017 party chiefs of the major parties agreed on the 15 October 2017 as the date for the general election in Austria.

Sebastian Kurz was formally elected leader of the Austrian People’s Party on the 1 July 2017 at a party convention in Linz. He announced that in the forthcoming general election he would campaign under the banner of a new name, the Sebastian Kurz list.

The election campaign during the summer and autumn of 2017, saw the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) move into a polling lead under the leadership of Sebastian Kurz. Commentators suggested that the most likely outcome to emerge from the election would be a coalition between the ÖVP and the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).

For full information on the Austrian 2017 general election click here.Reports and analysis of the results in the general election held in Austria on the 15 October 2017.

Provisional final results on the evening of the 15 October 2017 gave Sebastian Kurz's Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) a clear win, with 31.6% of the vote. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) with 26% were close to the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) with 26.9%. The Greens received only 3.3% of the vote and would be eliminated from the parliament.

It was suggested that the final vote to be announced on the 19 October 2017, once postal votes were incorporated, was expected to marginally help the SPÖ.

Commentators discussed the impact of the result on Austrian policies within the country, and externally on the European Union.

Manès Weisskircher and Matthew E. Bergman in an LSE EuroppBlog wrote that four key lessons from the result were:

+ A shift to the right – not only in the shadow of the 'refugee crisis'
+ The failure of the left
+ The future government coalition - what would it be?
+ Likely policy outcomes

Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen formally asked Sebastian Kurz to form a new coalition government o the 20 October 2017.

Source Link Link to Main Source http://www.politico.eu/article/austria-heads-for-right-leaning-coalition-early-projections/
Related Links
Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 16.10.17: Austria’s election: Four things to know about the result http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/16/austrias-election-four-things-to-know-about-the-result/
Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 17.10.17: Austria focuses on the short term, Germany the long term, in responding to populism http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/17/austria-focuses-on-the-short-term-germany-the-long-term-in-responding-to-populism/
EurActiv: The Brief, 16.10.17: Juncker’s muted message to Austria’s Wunderkind http://www.euractiv.com/section/all/news/the-brief-junckers-muted-message-to-austrias-wunderkind/
Blog: Open Europe, 19.12.17: What EU policy under Austria’s new right-wing government? https://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/eu-policy-austrias-new-right-wing-government/
Euro|Topics: Debates: October 2017: What does the Austrian election mean for Europe? http://www.eurotopics.net/en/187720/what-does-the-austrian-election-mean-for-europe
Blog: Open Europe, 24.10.17: Austria: coalition talks with the far right begin https://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/austria-coalition-talks-far-right-begin/
ESO: Key source: Austrian Parliamentary Election, 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/austrian-parliamentary-election-2017/
The Guardian, 15.10.17: [Analysis]: Sebastian Kurz's audacious gamble to lead Austria pays off https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/15/sebastian-kurz-could-31-year-olds-audacious-bid-to-lead-austria-pay-off
EurActiv, 16.10.17: EU holds breath after Austrian vote http://www.euractiv.com/section/future-eu/news/eu-holds-breath-after-austrian-vote/
Deutsche Welle, 16.10.17: [Opinion]: A right-wing coalition in Austria threatens the EU http://p.dw.com/p/2lsFp
The Local.at, 15.10.17: Sebastian Kurz: Europe's youngest leader in waiting https://www.thelocal.at/20171015/sebastian-kurz-europes-youngest-leader-in-waiting
Euro|Topics: Debates, October 2017: Why did Austria vote for the right? http://www.eurotopics.net/en/187721/why-did-austria-vote-for-the-right
Carnegie Europe: Strategic Europe, 16.10.17: Austria Swings Right, and How http://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/73425?lang=en
The Local.at, 16.10.17: Sebastian Kurz promises 'great change' as Austria turns to the right https://www.thelocal.at/20171016/sebastian-kurz-promises-great-change-as-austria-turns-to-the-right
Politico, 20.10.17: Sebastian Kurz asked to form Austrian government http://www.politico.eu/article/sebastian-kurz-asked-to-form-austrian-government/
The Local.at, 18.10.17: Austrian far right says it won't join government unless it gets the interior ministry top job https://www.thelocal.at/20171018/austrian-far-right-demands-control-of-interior-ministry
The Conversation, 17.10.17: Sebastian Kurz: just who is Austria’s fresh-faced new leader? https://theconversation.com/sebastian-kurz-just-who-is-austrias-fresh-faced-new-leader-85848
EurActiv, 23.10.17: Austria’s Kurz hopes to form government by Christmas http://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/austrias-kurz-hopes-to-form-government-by-christmas/

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