The president of Austria summons the ultranationalist Kickl amid winks from the conservatives to a right-wing coalition government

The leader of the ultranationalist FPÖ party, Herbert Kickl, will be received this coming Monday, January 6, by the president of Austria, the progressive Alexander van der Bellen, after the outgoing federal chancellor, the conservative Karl Nehammer, failed in his attempt to form a new Government without the extreme right.

This was announced this Sunday by Van der Bellen in a brief televised appearance from the Hofburg Palace, seat of the presidency, after Nehammer returned the task of forming a Government without the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) of Herbert Kickl after the elections of last September 29.

Although the president did not reveal whether he plans to entrust Kickl with forming the Government, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (ÖVP) expressed its hope that he will do so, as well as its willingness to negotiate a possible coalition agreement with the ultras.

The FPÖ, a formation considered eurosceptic and pro-Russian, won the legislative elections with almost 28.8% of the votes, followed by the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) with 26.3%, the social democratic SPÖ with 21.1%, the liberal Neos with 9% and Los Verdes with 8%.

In October the president had directly tasked Nehammer, as leader of the Christian Democrats ÖVP, with negotiating a coalition agreement without the participation of Kickl’s party, given that the other forces refused to cooperate with him. However, talks to form a tripartite coalition between conservatives, social democrats and neoliberals for the first time collapsed this weekend.

Van der Bellen recalled that Nehammer, who at all times has flatly rejected a political understanding with the far-right leader, announced late on Saturday the definitive end of those negotiations, as well as his resignation in the coming days as head of Government and also to the presidency of the ÖVP. His departure from the party leadership was considered essential for a hypothetical rapprochement with the FPÖ.

The head of state thanked the federal chancellor for his management at the head of the Conservative and Green Government in the last three years, marked by difficult crises, and said that he will remain in office until the appointment of a successor, expected next week.

At the same time, he highlighted today that he had confirmed that “the voices within the ÖVP that ruled out cooperation with Kickl have weakened” after the withdrawal of Nehammer as president of the formation.

Meanwhile, in an extraordinary and urgent meeting, the leadership of the conservative party today appointed its until now general secretary, Christian Stocker, interim head of the party to replace Nehammer.

Stocker said he hoped that “the leader of the most voted party (Herbert Kickl) will receive the task of forming a new government” from the president and expressed his party’s willingness to enter into negotiations with the ultras. “I have received a mandate for this today” from the ÖVP leadership, Stocker said at a press conference.