After five months of negotiations following the last election, Austria has established a coalition government formed by the centre-right People's Party, centre-left Social Democrats, and the liberal Neos. Christian Stocker, previously not a candidate, has taken the role of chancellor, with Andreas Babler as vice-chancellor. The coalition was solidified when Neos grassroots members approved the agreement. President Van der Bellen remarked on the lengthy negotiation process, marking a significant shift in Austrian politics without the participation of the far-right parties.
"Good things come to those who wait," Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen joked at the ceremony, referencing the longest coalition negotiations in Austria's history.
Stocker, 64, has never served in a national government, and his name was not originally on the ballot when Austrians headed to the polls last September.
The day the decision was taken, I drove to Vienna in jeans and a roll-neck jumper... a few hours later, I had to ask for a suit and tie to be brought to me."
Stocker has expressed his commitment to the European Union and is critical of Russia - policies that clashed with the leader of the far-right Austria's Freedom Party.
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