In his address, Austria's President referenced his changed position on cooperating with the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) chief, according to Der Standard. In Austria, talks on forming a government broke down last Saturday between the OVP and the SPO after the NEOS liberal party unexpectedly withdrew from the three-party coalition discussions the day before.
Following his meeting with Herbert Kickl, Mr. Van der Bellen announced that he had tasked the Austrian Freedom Party's leader with negotiating a coalition with the OVP. The president emphasized that any Austrian government must respect certain foundational pillars and principles.
I will ensure that the fundamental principles and rules of the constitution are properly upheld,
– Mr. Van der Bellen declared.
I may have certain preferences, but respect for the voters demands that I accept this majority,
– he added.
Herbert Kickl has the strength to find solutions within the framework of government negotiations, and he wants to take on this responsibility,
– emphasized Mr. Van der Bellen, who's tasked Mr. Kickl with forming a new federal government alongside the OVP, expecting regular updates on the progress of the negotiations.
The OVP, which - according to previous statements from the involved parties - is currently the FPO’s only viable coalition partner, had already signaled its willingness to engage in coalition talks.
On Saturday, Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced his resignation, prompting Mr. Van der Bellen to summon Herbert Kickl to the presidential office on Monday.
On Sunday, the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) announced it would accept the Austrian Freedom Party’s (FPO) proposal for coalition negotiations. The announcement was made by the newly appointed party leader, Christian Stocker, as reported by the exxpress.at portal.
Herbert Kickl is an ally of Viktor Orban
Analyst Daniel Deak previously noted that the emerging political situation in Austria may bring an ally of Hungarian PM Orban to power.
The September election was won by Viktor Orban’s allies, the Austrian Freedom Party, but they were unable to form a government alone. Instead, the losing parties initiated coalition talks. These, however, failed, prompting Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer to announce his resignation. From this point, two possibilities emerge: either the Austrian People’s Party reaches an agreement with the Freedom Party to form a government, or new elections are held. According to polls, the Freedom Party would win a repeat election with an even greater margin,
– the analyst explained.
Cover photo: Herbert Kickl and Alexander van der Bellen (Photo: APA-PictureDesk via AFP/Alex Halada)
