New Austrian government takes office
Austria's new government was sworn in on Tuesday. For the first time the conservative ÖVP will govern the country together with The Greens, with 33-year-old Sebastian Kurz becoming chancellor for a second time. Eight of the 17 ministers are women - a record for the Austrian cabinet. But how stable and successful will it be?
Kurz could make history
If this courageous alliance is followed by courageous policies the chancellor will be doing a good thing for Austria in the long term, Der Standard concludes:
“Although he has to take into account the 600,000 right-wing voters he inherited from the FPÖ in 2017 and 2019, conservative voters can also be won over with a policy that is not extremist but effective - and which takes the reality of the situation in Austria into account. ... This is what we have long been waiting for, especially on the migration issue. Austria is a wonderful country, the government programme says on a lyrical note. Okay, but it will be even more wonderful if we have a serious climate policy, a sensible integration policy and an economic policy that strengthens mass purchasing power. Basically, Kurz has yet to get started with serious policies.”
A good chance of stability
Hospodářské noviny is optimistic based on how the coalition partners have presented themselves so far:
“Both partners are respecting the agreed distribution of competences. They resolve their differences of opinion internally, not via the media. And The Greens' involvement in the government offers a unique opportunity. As a governing party they can convince the Austrians of their sense of responsibility and thus strengthen their own voter base. Sebastian Kurz has put a lot of thought into his turquoise-green experiment. He sees it as the most stable combination in the present situation. He hopes that - unlike the coalition with the FPÖ - it will last the entire five-year term. Moreover, another early election would undermine his reputation as a reliable and promising politician whose importance extends beyond Austria.”