After Swearing-In: Federal Government is Under Roof and Fach

On Monday morning, the 14-member team was sworn in by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen at the Hofburg. Christian Stocker (ÖVP) was the first to take over the Federal Chancellery from his party colleague, interim government leader Alexander Schallenberg. Other ministries followed gradually.

ÖVP chairman Stocker thus leads the first federal government formed by the People's Party, SPÖ, and NEOS. In addition to the 14 government members, there are also seven state secretaries - an unusually high number for the Second Republic. The swearing-in was not new territory for Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, and Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (all ÖVP), who were already represented in the same roles in the black-green coalition.

Debut for Party Leaders

All three party leaders - in addition to Stocker, the new Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and new Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) - are part of a federal government for the first time. Markus Marterbauer from the SPÖ occupies a key ministry with the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Economy is again led by Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP). Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) is responsible for labor, social affairs, and health, among other things.

The new Minister of Justice is Anna Sporrer (SPÖ). The second pink ministry, education, is taken over by Christoph Wiederkehr. Like him, Transport Minister Peter Hanke (SPÖ) also comes from Vienna city politics. Ministers without portfolio until the amendment of the Federal Ministries Act are the future Minister for Women and Science Eva Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) and the Chancellor's Office Minister responsible for families, youth, EU, and integration, Claudia Plakolm.

Van der Bellen "Very Happy"

Federal President Van der Bellen expressed being "very glad" that everyone had stepped over their shadows in the coalition negotiations. He advised the government that it must support the economy, but also the welfare state. Additionally, peace in Austria and Europe must be strategically secured. He named climate change as one of the greatest threats of the time, which must not be delayed in its combat. The president wants "reasonable" regulations regarding migration and integration.

Transfers in Ministries

Stocker said at the handover ceremony at the Chancellery: "I have the ambition to be the Federal Chancellor for everyone, not just for those who voted for me." The handover at the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport (BMKÖS) between the outgoing Minister Werner Kogler (Greens) and his successor, the new Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ), was extremely amicable.

The tone was also friendly at the Foreign Ministry, where Schallenberg handed over once again, this time to Meinl-Reisinger. No discord was noticeable at the Finance Ministry either, where Gunter Mayr welcomed Marterbauer and State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (ÖVP). Meanwhile, Wiederkehr completed his first appointment as Minister of Education with a visit to a kindergarten of the St. Nikolaus Foundation in Vienna. At the Interior Ministry, department head Karner, who remains, introduced his new State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ).

The reaction of the Freedom Party was less amicable. "With the black-red-pink loser traffic light, Austrians are now getting the most expensive government of all time, which will also impose the greatest burdens of all time on them," commented the blue General Secretary Christian Hafenecker on the day's events. "Lust for power, job trading, and the panicked fear of voters are the only glue that holds this dysfunctional system coalition together from the start," he stated in a release.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.