Austria

===Since 2006===
[[File:Wien - Bundeskanzleramt1.JPG|thumb|The Federal Chancellery on [[Ballhausplatz]]]]
After general elections held in October [[2006 Austrian legislative election|2006]], the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Social Democratic Party]] (SPÖ) emerged as the strongest party, and the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ÖVP) came in second, having lost about 8 percent of its previous polling.<ref name="Election2002">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=24 November 2002 General Election Results – Austria Totals |url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185433/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=Election Resources on the Internet }}</ref><ref name="Election2006">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=October&nbsp;1st,&nbsp;2006 General Election Results – Austria Totals |url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185102/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=Election Resources on the Internet }}</ref> Political realities prohibited any of the two major parties from forming a coalition with smaller parties. In January 2007 the People's Party and SPÖ formed a grand coalition with the social democrat [[Alfred Gusenbauer]] as Chancellor. This coalition broke up in June 2008.

Elections in September [[2008 Austrian legislative election|2008]] further weakened both major parties (SPÖ and ÖVP) but together they still held 70 percent of the votes, with the Social Democrats holding slightly more than the other party. They formed a coalition with [[Werner Faymann]] from the Social Democrats as Chancellor. The [[The Greens – The Green Alternative|Green Party]] came in third with 11 percent of the vote. The FPÖ and the deceased [[Jörg Haider]]'s new party [[Alliance for the Future of Austria]], both on the political right, were strengthened during the election but taken together received less than 20 percent of the vote. On 11 October 2008, Jörg Haider died in a car accident.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2008 |title=Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider dies in car crash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621073253/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[2013 Austrian legislative election|legislative elections of 2013]], the Social Democratic Party received 27 percent of the vote and 52 seats; People's Party 24 percent and 47 seats, thus controlling together the majority of the seats. The Freedom Party received 40 seats and 21 percent of the votes, while the Greens received 12 percent and 24 seats. Two new parties, Stronach and the NEOS, received less than 10 percent of the vote, and 11 and nine seats respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Resources on the Internet: Federal Elections in Austria – Nationalrat Results Lookup |url=http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013 |website=www.electionresources.org |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020101927/http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 17 May 2016, [[Christian Kern]] from Social Democrats (SPÖ) was sworn in as new chancellor. He continued governing in a "grand coalition" with the conservative People's Party (ÖVP). He took the office after former chancellor, also from SPÖ, [[Werner Faymann]]'s resignation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=17 May 2016 |title=Austria's Christian Kern sworn in as new chancellor {{!}} DW {{!}} 17 May 2016 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210090552/https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 26 January 2017, [[Alexander Van der Bellen]] was sworn in as the mostly ceremonial – but symbolically significant – role of Austrian president.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=26 January 2017 |title=Van der Bellen takes office as Austrian president {{!}} DW {{!}} 26 January 2017 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210092251/https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the Grand Coalition broke in Spring 2017 a snap election was proclaimed for [[2017 Austrian legislative election|October 2017]]. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) with its new young leader [[Sebastian Kurz]] emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 31.5 percent of votes and 62 of the 183 seats. The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) finished second with 52 seats and 26.9 percent votes, slightly ahead of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which received 51 seats and 26 percent. NEOS finished fourth with 10 seats (5.3 percent of votes), and PILZ (which split from the Green Party at the start of the campaign) entered parliament for the first time and came in fifth place with 8 seats and 4.4 percent The Green Party failed with 3.8 percent to cross the 4 percent threshold and was ejected from parliament, losing all of its 24 seats.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=15 October 2017 |title=Austrian elections: Sebastian Kurz becomes youngest leader |publisher=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587 |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ÖVP decided to form a coalition with the FPÖ. The new government between the centre-right wing and the right-wing populist party under the new chancellor Sebastian Kurz was sworn in on 18 December 2017,<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 December 2017 |title=Muted protests in Vienna as far-right ministers enter Austria's government |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria |url-status=live }}</ref> but the coalition government later collapsed in the wake of the [[Ibiza affair|"Ibiza" corruption scandal]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 May 2019 |title=Austrian government collapses after far-right minister fired |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125162548/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[2019 Austrian legislative election|new elections]] were called for 29 September 2019. The elections lead to another landslide victory (37.5 percent) of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) who formed a coalition-government with the reinvigorated (13.9 percent) Greens, which was sworn in with Kurz as chancellor on 7 January 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 September 2019 |title=Austrian elections: support for far-right collapses |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209125553/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 11 October 2021, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned, after pressure triggered by a corruption scandal. Foreign Minister [[Alexander Schallenberg]] of ÖVP succeeded him as chancellor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 October 2021 |title=Sebastian Kurz: Austrian leader resigns amid corruption inquiry |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58856796 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=9 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009182132/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58856796 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following a corruption scandal involving the ruling People's Party, Austria got its third conservative chancellor in two months after [[Karl Nehammer]] was sworn into office on 6 December 2021. His predecessor Alexander Schallenberg had left the office after less than two months. ÖVP and the Greens continued to govern together.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=6 December 2021 |title=Austria: Karl Nehammer sworn in as new chancellor {{!}} DW {{!}} 6 December 2021 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412004047/https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A year after [[Karl Nehammer]] was sworn into office, Austria disagreed to [[Bulgaria]]'s and [[Romania]]'s accession to the [[Schengen Area]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2022 |title=Austria blocks Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia gets green light |work=euronews. |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/08/austria-blocks-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria-while-croatia-gets-green-light |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210175419/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/08/austria-blocks-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria-while-croatia-gets-green-light |url-status=live }}</ref> In the two countries, the Austrian veto caused a considerable outrage. Because of the controversial vote, [[Romania]] withdrew its ambassador from [[Vienna]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2022 |title=Romania Recalls Ambassador Hurezeanu From Austria. MAE: Relations Will Be Diminished |work=Romania Journal |url=https://www.romaniajournal.ro/politics/romania-recalls-ambassador-hurezeanu-from-austria-mae-relations-will-be-diminished/ |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217204947/https://www.romaniajournal.ro/politics/romania-recalls-ambassador-hurezeanu-from-austria-mae-relations-will-be-diminished/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Citizens of [[Romania]] were advised by the government not to travel to Austria for skiing, and a boycott against Austrian companies like [[OMV]] and [[Raiffeisen Zentralbank|Raiffeisen]] is still ongoing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2022 |title=Romanians started boycott against Austrian companies |work=The Conservative |url=https://www.theconservative.online/romanians-started-boycott-against-austrian-companies |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217204948/https://www.theconservative.online/romanians-started-boycott-against-austrian-companies |url-status=live }}</ref>