Austria’s chancellor has made marriage equality part of next year’s election program.

Christian Kern, representing the Social Democratic Party of Austria, is the country’s highest politician.

Kern, who is married and has a son, is the first Austrian chancellor to have visited Vienna Pride.

On Wednesday (11 January), he presented his party’s plans to ‘reform’ the country, called Plan A – the A stands for Austria – which promises LGBTIs ‘equal rights on all levels’.

If Kern and his colleagues have their way, Plan A will mean establishing same-sex marriage.

Apart from allowing the LGBTI community to be (more) equal, the party is also saying it’ll save everyone money, no matter if they’re gay or straight.

‘Did you know marriage equality saves money,’ the paper reads.

‘The elimination of parallel structures at the registrar’s offices, for example, to name only one aspect.’

In line with pushing for same-sex marriage, the SPÖ also wants to level up existing anti-discrimination laws.

As of now, LGBTIs are protected in the workplace; but in private, they can still be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

‘Someone looking to rent a flat cannot be discriminated against because of their gender or the color if their skin,’ the plan states.

‘But if someone doesn’t get a rental contract because of their sexual orientation, that’s not forbidden.’

In the past, Kern has said he only would enter a second coalition government with the conservative Austrian People’s Part (ÖVP) if marriage equality was explicitly written into the coalition agreement.

As if now, it is unlikely marriage equality will come into force before 2018, when Austria faces its next national election.

With the ÖVP, who reject equality for the LGBTI community, in a coalition government, it is more than unlikely marriage equality will pass before then.

In the past, votes on the matter have repeatedly been struck down in the Austrian Parliament.