Parliament rejects FPÖ no-confidence motion against Austria's government
Austria's parliament has rejected a motion of no confidence against the federal government. The Freedom Party (FPÖ) brought the motion in the National Council on Thursday 15 October 2026. Only the FPÖ's own members voted for it, so the coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS under Chancellor Christian Stocker stays in office.
The motion followed an urgent question from FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl asking whether the government was still able to do its job. Kickl answered it himself with a clear no. In a speech of about twenty minutes he accused the three parties of ignoring voters, blocking each other's work and staying together only out of fear of his party. He called for the government to resign and for new elections. "It is over, clear the field, leave us in peace," he said.
State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), standing in for the chancellor, rejected the attack as polemics. He said the coalition had delivered results over the past 18 months, including two double budgets and the halt to family reunification, which he called hard compromises. The SPÖ and NEOS parliamentary leaders also defended the government. The Greens voted against the motion as well, but criticised the coalition for a lack of courage.
What it means: there will be no early election as a result of this vote, and the government continues its work. Its next projects include a nationwide reform of social assistance (Sozialhilfe), which is still being negotiated between the coalition partners. Laws and benefits that currently apply to residents are not affected by the vote.