Austrian President Plans Meeting with Freedom Party Leader Regarding New Government Formation
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Vienna, Jan 6 (NationPress) Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced his intention to meet the leader of the Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, on Monday to explore the possibility of forming a new government. This development follows a shift in the conservative People's Party, which has expressed a willingness to engage in discussions with the far-right party.
This change comes after unsuccessful negotiations for a three-party coalition involving the People's Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the NEOS party, which ultimately collapsed when the NEOS withdrew from the talks, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
On Saturday, Karl Nehammer announced his resignation as chancellor of the Austrian caretaker government and chairman of the People's Party due to the breakdown of coalition discussions. Van der Bellen indicated that he would appoint a new interim chancellor in the upcoming week.
Previously, Nehammer had firmly dismissed the idea of a coalition with Kickl's Freedom Party, especially after they emerged as the leading party in Austria's parliamentary elections in September.
On Sunday, Van der Bellen mentioned that Nehammer had informed him that the dissenting voices within the People's Party regarding cooperation with Kickl had diminished, creating an opportunity for a coalition with the Freedom Party.
Nevertheless, the Austrian president did not confirm whether he would grant the Freedom Party the authority to form a new government, as per the Austrian news agency APA.
In a recent decision, the People's Party appointed Christian Stocker, its secretary-general, as the interim leader to succeed Nehammer.
Stocker, who has been a vocal critic of Kickl for several months, stated at a press conference that his party is now open to coalition negotiations with the Freedom Party.
He justified this shift by emphasizing the need for a stable government, especially after the unsuccessful coalition attempts with the Social Democratic Party, indicating that it is crucial to avoid wasting time on election campaigns, as highlighted by APA.
The unsuccessful three-party coalition discussions had been ongoing since mid-November, following Van der Bellen's decision in October to assign the People's Party the task of forming a government.
In the September parliamentary election, the Freedom Party secured around 29 percent of the vote, placing it ahead of the People's Party and the Social Democratic Party, which garnered 26.3 percent and 21.1 percent respectively. Although the Freedom Party claimed the parliamentary presidency, it has struggled to identify coalition partners for government formation.
