Austria's new government accepts his office after a record of 5 months

Vienna (AP) -The new government took office on Monday, with Christian Stocker taking over the head of a previously un triedated three-party coalition after a record expectation of five months was waiting for a new administration.

The new government has to deal with increasing unemployment, recession and a creaking budget. His coalition agreement, which was achieved on Thursday after the longest negotiations in Austria after the Second World War, provides strict new asylum rules in the country of the European Union with 9 million people.

“Today I stand with great respect for them that are waiting for the attentive tasks, and I am very good for the great responsibility that goes with these tasks,” said Stocker at a handover ceremony. “I strive to be a chancellor for everyone.”

The end of a long street

This is the country's first three-party government that brings together the conservative Austrian People's Party of Stocker, the left Social Democrats and the Liberal Neos. The alliance in the political center only met the second attempt after the party against immigration and Eurosceptic freedom on September 29th emphasized the strongest political force in a parliamentary election.

A first attempt collapsed in early January and prompted Karl Nehammer to resign.

Stocker took over Nehammer as the leader of the People's Party and negotiated with Kickl about a possible coalition.

The three parties in the center then renewed their efforts to find similarities and made themselves the possibility of an early choice. On Sunday, the coalition agreement received members of NEOS who entered a federal government for the first time – the last step before the government was able to accept its office.

“You could say” good things come to those who are waiting ” – this is in any case my hope in view of the many days that this government formed,” said President Alexander van der Bellen when he swore in the new government.

“This process certainly took a long time. It has not yet been decided whether it will be good now, but we are positive and optimistic, ”he added. “That is with all of us.”

A new team with some familiar faces

The 64 -year -old Stocker becomes Chancellor, although he did not run for the job when Austrians voted in September and did not previously serve in a national government. The social democratic leader Andreas Babler became the new Vice Chancellor.

NEOS chairman Beate Meinl-Resinger took over the Foreign Minister of Alexander Schallenberg, who has also worked as an interim chancellor in the last two months after Nehammer's resignation.

Schallenberg says he is leaving politics at least for the time being. He said Stocker that it would have been difficult to present such a friendly handover when he temporarily took over in January, at a time when Kickl was probably looking for a more skeptical attitude towards the EU.

“We have a strong, pro-European government with you at the top, which clearly understands that it is not a policy to close bridges and closing, is a policy that makes sense for our country,” he said.

Some conservative ministers of the old government kept their work, in particular the Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner. However, the important ministry of finance went from the People's Party to the Social Democrats, with Markus Marterbauer taking over the job.

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Moulson reported from Berlin.

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