How Austria’s pro-Ukrainian parties managed to unite and keep the far right out of power
Christian Stocker is set to become Austria’s next chancellor.
Yesterday, three centrist Austrian parties presented their coalition agreement, 151 days after the parliamentary elections. This coalition-building process lasted an unprecedented amount of time for Austria in recent decades.
But it seems the wait was worth it. After months of negotiations, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) will not lead Austria, despite its triumphant victory in the September elections.
Read more in the article by Khrystyna Bondarieva, a European Pravda journalist – A chance for a pro-Ukrainian Austria: how the far-right winners were kept out of government and what comes next.
In Austria, forming a government now means bringing together three parties that, just weeks ago, had declared an alliance impossible due to their supposedly irreconcilable differences.
In early January, the three parties – ÖVP (People’s Party), SPÖ (Social Democrats), and NEOS (Liberals) – stated that they could not find common ground to form a coalition.
However, they ultimately reached an agreement after Herbert Kickl, the leader of the pro-Russian far-right Freedom Party, failed to build a governing coalition despite winning the election.
Faced with the possibility of new elections, where the Freedom Party could have gained an even larger lead, the pro-democratic parties apparently realised that their differences were not as insurmountable as they initially thought.
If on Sunday, 2 March, NEOS members approve the coalition pact, Austria will see its first-ever three-party coalition government.
But if the NEOS party rejects the agreement, a fragile two-party coalition of ÖVP and SPÖ will form a government with a razor-thin majority of just one seat in parliament.
Regardless of the final coalition structure, Austria’s next chancellor will be Christian Stocker, a name unfamiliar to most Ukrainians and even many Austrians.
Stocker is described as a politician who is both pragmatic and persistent, focusing on facts to drive decision-making.
Due to his visual resemblance to the former British prime minister, he has been nicknamed the Austrian Churchill.
His vice chancellor will be Andreas Babler, leader of the Social Democratic Party and a former mayor from Lower Austria.
In his youth, Babler opposed Austria’s EU membership. While he now claims to have abandoned his stance on an Öxit, he previously referred to the EU as "the most aggressive foreign policy military alliance," even "worse than NATO."
Babler believes the EU needs deep reform to become more socially just, advocating for a fundamental revision of European treaties.
Nevertheless, the coalition agreement explicitly reaffirms Austria’s commitment to the EU as "the greatest peace project of all time."
The diverse coalition also includes NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
If the liberals approve the deal on Sunday, she will become Austria’s next foreign minister.
Meinl-Reisinger has consistently made pro-Ukrainian statements, and her recent speech in parliament reaffirmed that she will maintain a strong pro-Ukraine stance in office.
One of the major reasons behind the Freedom Party’s popularity was its promises to tighten immigration policies.
To counter the far-right, the coalition parties decided to adopt tougher migration policies themselves, effectively neutralising one of FPÖ’s strongest campaign messages.
Thus, Austria’s next government is set to be a pragmatic yet diverse coalition that prioritises democratic values, EU membership, and support for Ukraine while responding to voter concerns on migration.