Christian Stocker, leader of Austria's conservative People's Party (OeVP), was officially sworn in as the country's new chancellor on Monday. This marks the beginning of a three-party governing coalition, following weeks of political negotiations after the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) failed to form a government.
In the September elections, the FPOe secured nearly a third of the vote, winning for the first time. However, their attempt to lead Austria's first far-right government was unsuccessful last month, leading to the formation of a coalition between the OeVP and two centrist parties. This coalition ends Austria's longest period without a government in its modern history.
The formal ceremony took place at Vienna's Hofburg Palace, where President Alexander Van der Bellen emphasized the necessity of a stable government amidst challenging geopolitical tensions. “Especially… after last weekend,\" Van der Bellen remarked, alluding to the recent tensions in Europe following a dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He added, \"In Europe, there must be a new way of sticking together, both politically and in terms of joint peacekeeping.\"
Accompanying Stocker in the ceremony were the newly appointed cabinet members.
Earlier this year, Stocker assumed leadership of the OeVP, succeeding former chancellor Karl Nehammer after an initial round of coalition talks without the far right did not materialize. At 64, Stocker is a lawyer with a passion for fly-fishing, golf, and playing the saxophone. He became the OeVP general secretary in 2022 and entered the national legislature in 2019 after serving as deputy mayor in his hometown of Wiener Neustadt, near Vienna.
