Austria’s far-right election winner won’t form government. Here’s why

The conservative Austrian People's Party, the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal Neos agreed on a program for a coalition

Three parties reached a deal on Thursday to form a new centrist Austrian government, two weeks after a far-right party that won an election in September failed to put together an administration.

The conservative Austrian People’s Party, the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal Neos agreed on a program for a coalition after what Christian Stocker, who is expected to become chancellor, called “perhaps the most difficult negotiations on a government in the history of our country.”

Three weeks ago, the country’s politicians broke a post-World War II record of 129 days to form a new government that dated to 1962.

“The challenges are historic and far-reaching,” said Stocker, the new People’s Party leader, pointing to the ongoing war in Ukraine, a creaking Austrian budget and pressure from migration — long a top issue in Austrian politics.

The coalition deal calls for strict new asylum rules in the European Union country of 9 million people. It foresees setting up “return centers” to house rejected asylum-seekers and suspending family reunions. Stocker said the new government will “reserve the right to impose an asylum freeze” if the number of asylum applications increases.

The agreement includes a “mandatory integration program” for all seeking asylum in Austria, which will include tuition in language and values as well as community service.

Stocker also announced that the three parties agreed to work on a headscarf ban for girls under 14 to prevent “segregation and repression.”

Andreas Babler, the Social Democrats’ leader, underlined the need to fix Austria’s budget deficit and said that “broader shoulders can carry heavier loads.” He said the deal includes a levy on banks.