The FPÖ appears to be on the verge of entering the Chancellery a good three months after the parliamentary elections. Head of state Alexander Van der Bellen has commissioned the right-wing populist Herbert Kickl to form a government. Negotiations for the formation of a three-party coalition of the conservative ÖVP, the social democratic SPÖ and the liberal Neos, favored by the Federal President, had previously failed after six weeks due to major discrepancies in content.
Kickl’s Freedom Party had clearly won the parliamentary election three months ago, but were initially left out of coalition talks due to the other parties’ unwillingness to work with the right-wing populists. The conservative ÖVP, previously on the opposite course to the FPÖ, has now announced that it will be available for alliance talks with the right-wing party.
If an agreement is reached, the way would be clear for Austria’s first chancellor from the ranks of the FPÖ. The 56-year-old Kickl, who positioned himself as “People’s Chancellor” in the election campaign, is known, among other things, for his Russia-friendly stance and an extremely strict migration policy with large-scale deportations. There were protests against Kickl in front of the Vienna Hofburg when he met with Van der Bellen in the morning.
The development is considered a blow to the Federal President
After the failure of negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos, Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced his resignation at the weekend. He was succeeded in the office of party leader on an interim basis by the previous ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker. Like Nehammer, he was one of Kickl’s harshest critics to date, accusing him of, among other things, inability to govern. He also described the FPÖ leader as a “security risk”.
The development in favor of the FPÖ is also seen as a blow for the Federal President, who had preferred a three-party coalition without the right-wing populists. Now it’s about ensuring that Austria has an effective and stable government, said the head of state.
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