Austrian nationalist party leader rumored to be in talks to form government

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced on Sunday that he would be meeting with far-right politician Herbert Kickl amidst speculation that Kickl may be asked to form a government. This decision comes after Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed his intention to resign following the collapse of coalition talks between his conservative Austrian People’s Party and the center-left Social Democrats over budget issues.

Nehammer has been clear in ruling out working with Kickl, but there are voices within his party that are less adamant about this stance. The People’s Party has nominated its general secretary, Christian Stocker, as interim leader, although Van der Bellen stated that Nehammer would remain chancellor for the time being.

After several hours of discussions with key officials, Van der Bellen noted that the voices within the People’s Party opposing collaboration with the Freedom Party under Kickl’s leadership have diminished. This development has prompted the president to invite Kickl for a meeting on Monday morning.

Kickl’s Freedom Party emerged as the top vote-getter in the recent national election with 29.2% of the vote. However, Van der Bellen had tasked Nehammer with forming a new government as no other party was willing to work with Kickl. This decision was met with criticism from Kickl and his supporters, who argue that the Freedom Party is a stable factor in Austrian politics.

Stocker, the newly appointed interim leader of the People’s Party, expressed his support for the president’s decision to meet with Kickl and indicated that he expects the party that won the last election to be given the opportunity to form a government. Despite his previous criticisms of Kickl, Stocker stated that the People’s Party would accept an invitation to negotiations for forming a government.

The Freedom Party’s election program, titled “Fortress Austria,” includes controversial policies such as advocating for the remigration of foreigners, tighter border controls, and suspending the right to asylum. Additionally, the party calls for an end to sanctions against Russia, opposes Western military aid to Ukraine, and seeks to withdraw from the European Sky Shield Initiative.

Austria was plunged into political turmoil after the Neos party withdrew from coalition talks with the People’s Party and Social Democrats. Subsequent attempts to form a government failed due to disagreements over budget deficits. The country now waits to see how the meeting between Van der Bellen and Kickl will impact the formation of a new government in Austria.