Will a right-wing radical soon rule in Vienna?

Chaos in the neighboring country

Complete turnaround

Until the very end, the Federal President and all parties except the FPÖ wanted to prevent Herbert Kickl from becoming chancellor. This blockade is now over.

Austria’s politics is facing a historic turning point. At least Austria’s liberal media sees dark times ahead for the country. The current events surrounding the formation of a government after the parliamentary elections would even exceed the “extent of chaos” caused by the resignation of ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in 2021, writes “Die Presse”.

After a government involving the democratic parties ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos failed, Austria is now heading towards a coalition between the right-wing populist FPÖ and the conservative ÖVP. This comes as a surprise, as all parties have always ruled out an alliance with the FPÖ, which is partly considered to be right-wing extremist.

Nevertheless, after the failure of previous coalition negotiations, Federal President Alexander van der Bellen announced a meeting with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl for Monday. He had no other choice, after all the ÖVP was open to talks about forming a government with the FPÖ. “If we are invited to these talks, then we will accept this invitation,” said acting ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker. The party had previously ruled this out.

However, the situation changed over the weekend. With the resignation of ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer, the door opened to a coalition with the FPÖ under his designated successor Stocker. Van der Bellen also emphasized on Sunday that a new situation had arisen after Nehammer’s resignation as Chancellor and ÖVP leader.

Nehammer reported to him that the voices within the ÖVP “that rule out cooperation with an FPÖ under Herbert Kickl have become significantly quieter.” This means “that a new path may be opening up that did not exist before,” added the president, referring to a possible alliance between the ÖVP and FPÖ. It’s now about “that Austria gets a government that is capable of acting.” Able to act, perhaps, but at what cost? Not only many Austrians are asking this question, but also the president himself.

Van der Bellen emphasized that he would continue to ensure that the “foundation pillars of our democracy are respected.” These included the “rule of law, separation of powers, human rights and minority rights, free and independent media and EU membership”.

However, it is at least questionable whether these fundamental pillars will continue to exist under the participation of the FPÖ and Kickl in government. Kickl is extremely critical of the EU, pro-Putin and is said to be able to get used to the concept of authoritarian governance. The Viennese “Standard” writes that he is an “agitator” for whom “human rights, freedom of expression and media diversity” count for nothing.

When asked by a journalist whether he could give Kickl the government mandate after the meeting on Monday morning, the Austrian president dodged with the words “if, if, if”. The right-wing extremist FPÖ leader has so far made it clear that he would only join a coalition as chancellor. The FPÖ has already been involved in the government in Vienna several times, but so far only as a junior partner.

Stocker said that if the FPÖ invites his party to negotiations, the ÖVP will conduct these talks “just as seriously” as before with the other parties. “And when a common denominator is found, then the personnel questions arise,” he added.

The 64-year-old Stocker, who was appointed acting ÖVP chairman on Sunday, had appeared in the past as a staunch opponent of the FPÖ. “But the situation has changed since yesterday,” he said. “It’s not about Herbert Kickl or me, but it’s about the fact that this country needs a stable government right now and we can’t keep wasting time in campaigns or elections that we don’t have.”