Austria: Government Formation Expected Between Freedom Party (FPÖ) and People’s Party (ÖVP)
Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen has given FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl the task of forming a new government
What should have happened, in the end has happened: the right-wing Freedom Austria Party (FPÖ), which won the September 2024 legislative elections with 29% of the vote, was given the task of forming a new Austrian government.
Following the resignation of Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen has given FPÖ party leader Herbert Kickl the delicate task of securing a new government for the country. “My constitutional task is still to explore the possibilities of a majority government in Austria,” and for this reason “I have given a mandate to Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl to form a new executive together with the People’s Party (ÖVP),” van der Bellen said following a meeting with Kickl at the presidential palace in Vienna.
The Austrian president also emphasized that the decision was not taken “lightly” and that he would ensure that “the principles and rules of the Constitution” were properly followed.
“One of the most important constitutional duties of a federal president is to ensure that the country has a functioning government. Respect for the voice of the electorate requires that its views be reflected in government. Two of the three parties with the most votes must now cooperate. Cooperation with Kickl was categorically ruled out at the time by the political forces concerned. Chancellor Karl Nehammer then tried to form a tripartite coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the Liberal Democrats (NEOS), but as you know, those talks failed,” van der Bellen said.
The president then stated that following the chancellor’s resignation, interim ÖVP leader Christian Stocker opened himself up to a possible coalition with FPÖ, and added that “various issues and options were discussed with Kickl.”
Turning points in Austria’s political life are in the spotlight in neighboring Germany. The German government is “watching the latest political developments in Austria with great interest.” This was stated by Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German executive branch, according to whom “at the moment, the government is not commenting on the situation in any way.”
“The fact that these events are taking place and that they are not commented on by us at the moment is quite natural, this is how good neighborly relations should be. Karl Nehammer still holds the position of Federal Chancellor of Austria. In that sense, the Austrian Government is also quite capable of acting and functioning, and that is important and positive for us. At the end of the day, we are dealing with those who were elected in democratic elections,” Hebestreit emphasized.
Actually, German political leaders do not hesitate to comment on the political crisis in Austria. According to Alice Weidel (pictured), leader of the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, “the anti-democratic exclusionary policy towards the Freedom Austria Party (FPÖ) has clearly failed and is leading conservative parties down a blind alley by exposing them to left-wing ideologies.”
Referring to outgoing Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who opposed the coalition between his People’s Party and Kickl’s FPÖ, Alice Weidel added that “the Chancellor has rightly failed in his policy of ignoring the will of the majority of the Austrian people.” In this context, in view of the German general elections scheduled for February 23, Weidel suggested that the leader of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, “take a close look at Nehammer’s fate and examine his conscience for the good of Germany,” implicitly suggesting that if the CDU wins the elections, he should also start talks on forming a government coalition with the AfD.
Kickl should become “chancellor of all Austria”
According to the Austrian press today, “it remains to be seen if and when a Kickl-Stoker government will emerge and with what kind of program.” Austria, like the rest of Europe, is going through a difficult period, caused above all by the economic consequences of the conflict in Ukraine: restructuring finances, fighting inflation, and reconverting the energy sector after parting ways with Russian gas are on the agenda, along with security and immigration. The real challenge for Herbert Kickl will be to transform himself from “a noisy mouthpiece of the opposition” to chancellor of all Austria.
