Monday probably the swearing-in ceremony

List of ministers finalized – now comes the last hurdle

The party leaders have finalized the lists of ministers - the last hurdle for the government still has to be cleared on Sunday.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Hans Klaus Techt/APA/picturedesk.com (2))

The ÖVP and SPÖ party committees have approved their personnel packages - SPÖ leader Andreas Babler has largely won the public power struggle for the red ministerial posts. The last hurdle for the government must be cleared on Sunday.

With the Chamber of Labor economist Markus Marterbauer in the important Finance Ministry and National Council member Michaela Schmidt as government coordinator, Babler now has two confidants in the government. Babler has prevented two candidates he does not like - Sven Hergovich from Lower Austria and Alexander Wrabetz (Vienna). The third ally to join the Vice-Chancellor's office is Federal Managing Director Sandra Breiteneder as Babler's Chief of Cabinet.

Only mild criticism in the red committee meetings
As a concession to Lower Austria, Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig, the former state councillor, becomes State Secretary for Health in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Babler was almost euphoric after the board meeting, in which only the Socialist Youth opposed the coalition as a whole and the Pensioners' Association objected to the pension chapter: "Together we will get Austria back on track!"

Lower Austrian dominance in the ÖVP
The process of finding ministers in the ÖVP was comparatively civilized. All Turkish members of the government who did not leave of their own accord were allowed to stay: Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig and the former State Secretary Claudia Plakolm, who will become Minister of the Chancellery responsible for Youth, Family and Europe.

With Christian Stocker as Chancellor, the Lower Austrian ÖVP fills half of the VP government posts. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, which is important for the People's Party, goes to Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce from Upper Austria. The personnel package and program were unanimously accepted by the People's Party.

Pink Party vote on government on Sunday
The extended board of the NEOS had already met on Thursday evening and approved Beate Meinl-Reisinger as Foreign Minister, Christoph Wiederkehr as Education Minister and Josef Schellhorn as State Secretary for Deregulation (in the Foreign Ministry). The final hurdle for the government is the NEOS membership vote, which will take place on Sunday. A two-thirds majority is required.

New MPs move up in parliament
For this reason, the swearing-in ceremony with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has not yet been officially scheduled. However, preparations are being made in the background for Monday. The three-party coalition will then present itself in parliament over the course of the week. Here, too, there is no official date yet, but the government statement could take place on Friday. At this session, some new MPs will also replace those who are joining the government.