Following a busy election season and the National Council election, Austria’s political scene has quieted during the autumn holiday week. Chancellor Karl Nehammer and other officials are on short breaks, with the exploratory teams of the ÖVP (Austrian People’s Party) and SPÖ (Social Democratic Party) set to reconvene on November 4. Currently, there are no significant discussions at lower levels, and meetings with the Neos, the likely coalition partner, have not been reported.
Despite the pause, both parties are actively preparing internally. They are forming core negotiation teams and identifying key issues such as the budget, migration, and culture. Insiders indicate that this negotiation effort may be smaller than previous ones, which often involved around 100 negotiators per party, as smaller parties struggle to recruit such numbers without relying on external experts.
Decision-making dynamics within a potential three-party coalition are also under discussion. A major question remains whether two parties should be able to outvote a third during initial talks or if unanimous agreement should be the standard.
Key figures in these negotiations include Nehammer’s chief of staff Andreas Achatz and economic advisor Michael Buchner for the ÖVP, while Sandra Breiteneder, a close ally of SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, leads negotiations for the SPÖ. Both Breiteneder and her ÖVP counterparts lack extensive experience in coalition formation, but they are supported by seasoned members from their respective parliamentary clubs.
