National Council: 179 Legislative Decisions Since Coalition Sworn In

Opposition Approval

Despite the favorable numbers, Kucher simultaneously called for a different tone in the debate. "Despite all substantive differences, we should return to a more respectful approach. Less scolding, more solutions should be our common goal," the SPÖ parliamentary group leader said in a statement. He pointed to a "rising number of low blows" in the plenary and expressed his displeasure about it.

According to the evaluation, there were a total of 48 calls to order in the current legislative period. Of these, 40 (83 percent) were attributed to the FPÖ. Kucher summed this up in a succinct formula: "Herbert Kickl has received more calls to order than motions he has submitted." In the facts, Herbert Kickl is referred to as the "FPÖ chief."

Calls to Order and Conflicts

The high number of decisions does not automatically mean smooth cooperation, as the statistics on calls to order show. Nevertheless, the coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ, and Neos has delivered a remarkable legislative record in the first nearly 500 days of its term – surpassed only by the turquoise-green government during the Corona pandemic.

The publication of the figures on Sunday must be seen against the backdrop of ongoing political debates. For instance, Neos parliamentarian Schumann announced measures to legally safeguard the "care bonus." Additionally, in recent weeks within the Neos, an expulsion from both the parliamentary group and the party against Veit Dengler became known after he allegedly "repeatedly violated the group statutes." The list of departures from the Neos is thus growing longer.

Classification of the Balance Sheet

Independently of this, the SPÖ group pointed out that the evaluation presented is based on the official parliamentary balance sheet and contains no estimates. This is intended to allow comparison with previous government periods on a uniform data basis, the group explained.

The key figures presented – legislative decisions, unanimity, opposition approval, and calls to order – will shape the political debate in Vienna in the coming days. They offer both the government and the opposition arguments for their own portrayal of the legislative period so far.

If the pace of 2.5 measures per week is maintained, the coalition would accumulate well over 500 decisions by the end of a full legislative period. Whether and how the composition of the decisions – unanimity, opposition majority, pure government majority – changes in the second half of the legislative period remains to be seen.