No end in sight

Government formation could be the longest since 1945

Will Kickl do better than Nehammer? He had quickly identified a culprit in the (still) Federal Chancellor.(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

The longest government formation since 1945 lasted 129 days. This negative record is not far away. It has already been 103 days since the last National Council elections - and a stable government is still not in sight.

Only twice before has it taken longer from election day to the inauguration of a new government than now: after the National Council elections in 1962 and 1999. Now that the coalition negotiations between the FPÖ and ÖVP have only just begun, the previous record could be beaten.

For this to happen, the blue-black coalition negotiations that have now begun would have to drag on for more than three weeks and the new government would not take office until February 6.

Second place would already be available on February 1. The longest government formation to date lasted a total of 129 days: After the election on November 18, 1962, negotiations between the ÖVP and SPÖ dragged on for months before the two parties finally reluctantly agreed on a new edition of the Grand Coalition, which was appointed by Federal President Adolf Schärf on March 27, 1963.

Clear parallels to 1999
It was only five days shorter 25 years ago before the first black-blue coalition took office. The complicated initial situation back then certainly has some parallels to the current situation.

The situation after the election on October 3, 1999 was just as tricky: the SPÖ, which had the most votes, ruled out a coalition with the FPÖ, which came second for the first time, while the third-ranked ÖVP wanted to go into opposition.

Weeks of coalition negotiations between the SPÖ and ÖVP failed, and then things happened in a flash. Just two weeks later, on February 4, the first black-blue coalition under ÖVP leader Wolfgang Schüssel was sworn in. It was the only time so far that the person appointed by the Federal President after the election to form the government was not finally sworn in as Chancellor.