Austria's president on Monday tasked Herbert Kick, the outspoken leader of the Alpine country's far-right Freedom Party, with trying to form a coalition government, three months after the party won the most votes in a general election.
“Mr. Kickl is confident that he can find appropriate solutions in the context of government negotiations and he wants that responsibility,” President Alexander Van der Bellen said during a five-minute speech after meeting with Mr. Kickl.
Mr. Kikli, an anti-immigrant firebrand who has vowed to make the country a “fortress” at the president's request, is launching a process that could make him Austria's first far-right chancellor later this year.
What caused this?
Freedom Party finished first In the September 29 election, with about 30 percent of the vote, but was far short of a majority. Despite the victory at the ballot box, the party's first It was built by former Nazis in the 1950swould not be part of the new government because the main parties refused to work with Mr. Kickl, whom they called a threat to democracy.
Chancellor and leader of the conservative Austrian People's Party Karl Nehammer, who came in second place with 26.5 percent of the vote, was primarily tasked by President Van der Bellen with trying to form a government. Chancellor Nehammer reached out to the centre-left Social Democrats and the fledgling Neos party to reach an agreement for a coalition government. But they were unable to overcome their differences on key budget issues, and at the end of last week, first the Neos, then the Social Democrats, walked out of the talks.
On Saturday, Mr. Nehammer announced his resignation as both chancellor and party leader. His hastily elected replacement as party leader, Christian Stocker, announced that the People's Party, known as the ÖVP, would be open to coalition talks with the Freedom Party, despite promises made during the campaign.
What is the Freedom Party?
The party was founded not long after World War II by former members of the SS, the Nazi paramilitary police. Before the party's campaign speeches, it introduces the party by using the German word “Volkskanzler”, a reference to the rise of German fascism and Adolf Hitler.
Austria has a history of denigrating migrants as criminals and welfare sponges. under the flagAustrian castle,” Mr. Kickl called for a temporary suspension of new asylum seekers and a law banning them from becoming Austrian citizens.
The party is also close to Moscow – he signed cooperation agreement In 2016, with President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party – and against aid to Ukraine to support its defense against Russian aggression. He also opposed sanctions against Russia. The party is also against Austria joining NATO, citing the constitutional neutrality of the country.
The party has already been in the national government five times, but always as a relatively weak junior partner. Mr. Kikl was the Minister of Internal Affairs from 2017 to 2019. scandal involving one of Mr. Kickl's predecessors as party leader then forced the Conservative chancellor to end that coalition. The party was also in a state-level coalition with the conservatives.
What could be the consequences for the Austrian government?
While the Conservatives and the Freedom Party differ on some key points, such as their views on Russia's war in Ukraine, they agree on many others. Experts believe that a coalition agreement reflecting the government's intended program will be easier than the previous attempt between the two right-wing parties with parties from across the political spectrum. In Austria, such negotiations usually take weeks or even months.
Mr Kickle insisted he should lead the government after the election. Since the Freedom Party has the most seats in the 183-seat parliament – 57 to 51 for the conservatives – he has a good case to be elected chancellor.
If the parties cannot find common ground, the president will have to call new elections because no other party combination can form a majority. A new vote soon would be extremely rare for Austria.
Why is it important?
Mr. Kickl would become Austria's first far-right chancellor since the end of World War II. While voters in many European countries have shifted to the right, few leaders have been as outspoken against immigrants and foreigners as he has been, which is sure to raise tensions with Austria's European Union partners. (After becoming Prime Minister of Italy in 2022, there is Giorgia Meloni distanced himself from his hard-living pastalignment with the Western mainstream on major international issues. In contrast, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who visited Vienna last year at the invitation of the Freedom Party, contradicted his views. European Union leaders over his right-wing nationalist positions over the years.)
Although Austria has only 9.1 million citizens, its proximity to the geographical center of the EU and especially its trade relations with Germany, the bloc's largest economy, give the country great importance.
How was the reaction?
Several hundred people protested outside the Hofburg, the presidential palace in central Vienna, as Mr Van der Bellen and Mr Kickl met on Monday. They held signs warning of right-wing extremism and chanted “Once more Volkskanzler”.
After the national elections in September, Muslim and Jewish groups expressed their concerns. Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, said the success of the Freedom Party felt “threatening” to many in his community.