VIENNA (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel was sworn in as temporary interior minister on Tuesday after the sudden death of Liese Prokop on Dec. 31.

The ruling People's Party of Austria (OeVP) of Schuessel was defeated by the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPOe) in last October's parliamentary elections. So far, 10 rounds of negotiations have been held between the two parties on the forming of the new government.

Schuessel said on Tuesday in an interview with the Austrian News Agency that he was willing to work in the new government.

"We originally had more than 80 different themes for discussing, and now the problems would be few," he said.

The SPOe and OeVP are expected to hold another round of talks on Jan. 8 and a final decision would be published then.

However, Prokop's sudden death might cause certain changes in the political field.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer called for the cooperation of two parties again on Jan.1, 2007.

"Honestly, I am very satisfied with the current situation," Schuessel said after his swearing-in.

In the newly-elected 183-seat National Council in October, 2006, the SPOe has 68 seats, the OeVP 66, both the leftist Greens Party and the rightist Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe) 21, and another co-ruling party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZOe), seven.