Negotiations start

Sweet coalition could be in place by the end of the year

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Even if the formation of a government is perhaps progressing too slowly for some, the exploratory talks have gone relatively quickly this time. Five years ago, 38 days passed between the start of exploratory talks and the start of coalition negotiations; this time, 27 days were spent in exploratory talks before real government negotiations began on Thursday. If these also proceed more quickly than in 2019, a new government could be in place by the end of the year.

On average, it took 62.4 days for a new government to be inaugurated after the previous elections of the Second Republic. Excluding the five single-party governments, it took an average of 70.2 days for coalition governments to form a government from election day to taking office. In order to maintain this average, a turquoise-red-pink government would have to be in place by December 8. The ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS would only have a good two weeks to put together a coalition pact. In view of the complicated initial situation, there are also other indications that it will take longer this time.

Three parties at the negotiating table for the first time
More than three weeks passed after the election on September 29 before Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen issued an official mandate to form a government - only in 1983 and 1999 did it take longer. The reason for the delay was the tricky situation, as it became clear that no other party wanted to enter into a coalition with the election winner, the FPÖ, under its party leader Herbert Kickl. After several rounds of talks with the party leaders, Van der Bellen finally gave the job to the second-placed ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer 23 days after the election.

The fact that three parties are sitting at the negotiating table for the first time since 1945 will not make the upcoming government negotiations any easier. In 2019, the ÖVP and the Greens needed 47 days for the real coalition negotiations until the agreement on a joint government program was announced on 1 January 2020. A total of 100 days passed between the election on September 29, 2019 and the inauguration on January 7, 2020.

Longest government formation lasts 129 days
If the coalition negotiations take longer this time and drag on into the new year, a new record is also possible. The longest Austrians have ever had to wait - namely 129 days - was in 1962/63, when the Grand Coalition, which was already deeply divided at the time, came together for the last time - before one black and four SPÖ all-party governments.

The second longest government was formed 25 years ago - with a similarly complicated starting situation as today. The SPÖ was first, but it was clear from the outset that the FPÖ and ÖVP - the second and third parties - wanted to join forces. Nevertheless, the then Federal President Thomas Klestil worked hard to form a government under the leadership of the SPÖ. It took a total of 124 days after the 1999 election before the first black-blue government under Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) was formed. Lengthy exploratory talks between the first-placed SPÖ and the third-placed ÖVP failed, but then things moved quickly: the ÖVP-FPÖ government was formed within eleven days.