President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen has entrusted Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Freedom Party, with initiating coalition negotiations to form a new government with the Austrian People’s Party. This decision follows the collapse of earlier talks among three political forces.
Last week, attempts to form a government involving the Austrian People’s Party, the Social Democrats, and the liberal NEOS party ended in failure due to significant disagreements in their political approaches. These parties sought to prevent the Freedom Party, which won the September elections, from coming to power. However, they were unable to reach a compromise.
Previously, all parliamentary parties ruled out the possibility of forming a coalition with the Freedom Party under Kickl’s leadership. However, the situation shifted after the resignation of Karl Nehammer, leader of the Austrian People’s Party and a staunch opponent of an alliance with the right-wing party. The new party leader, Christian Stocker, expressed willingness to consider an alliance with the Freedom Party, paving the way for negotiations.
He also emphasized the importance of adhering to constitutional principles throughout all stages of government formation. If coalition talks between the Freedom Party and the Austrian People’s Party succeed, Austria will, for the first time, have a chancellor from the right-wing camp.
