In what may be the first far-right-led administration in Austria since World War Two, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has requested the head of the far-right Freedom Party (FP) to create a new ruling coalition.
At a press conference following the two leaders’ Monday meeting in Vienna, Van der Bellen stated that FP head Herbert Kickl is confident in his ability to identify workable solutions within the parameters of government negotiations and that he intends to carry out this duty.
The announcement marks a significant shift in the course of Austrian parliamentarians’ attempts to create a government. On Saturday, current Chancellor Karl Nehammer resigned, and the ruling conservatives had a crisis conference on Sunday.
Van der Bellen had few options after the meeting, which was intended to challenge the FP by assembling a centrist coalition of liberals and Social Democrats, failed.
Since October, the president of Austria, whose responsibility it is to see that a viable government is formed, has been attempting to build a coalition. But since Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party and other parties declined to cooperate with the far-right FP, those plans fell through.
Following his departure, Nehammer’s party stated that it was willing to work with Kickl.
In September, Austria held legislative elections, and the FP emerged victorious with a historic 28.8% of the vote. According to opinion polls, the far-right party would have much more support if an election were to be held right now.
Founded by former Nazis, the Russia-friendly FP supports stringent border controls and emergency legislation that suspends asylum rights. It also aims to make society more uniform and regulate the remigration of unwelcome foreigners.
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