After a meeting with the leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen officially handed the mandate to form a government to the right-wing populists.
Their party won the September parliamentary elections with 29 percent of the vote. Initially, no one wanted to govern with their controversial leader Kickl, but after the failure of negotiations for a centrist alliance, the previous ruling Austrian People's Party changed their minds. They are already ready to discuss a coalition with the Austrian Freedom Party, ARD notes.
There are similarities, there are differences
The German public-law media outlet recalls that the two political forces have already allied in the 2000s and between 2017 and 2019, but under the leadership of the Austrian People's Party. Now, for the first time, a right-wing populist could become Chancellor of Austria.
Before that, however, the two parties must agree on a governing program. On topics such as migration and taxes, their positions are largely close. But there are differences on foreign and security policy between the Moscow-friendly, EU-hostile Freedom Party and the conservative Austrian People's Party.
How did it get here
After the September elections, negotiations to form a three-way coalition in Austria were held for months to prevent Kickl from becoming chancellor, but these negotiations failed. Kickl is a well-known critic of the EU, a friend of Putin and a supporter of the authoritarian state leadership. The Austrian "Standart" writes about him as a hate monger, and for him human rights, freedom of opinion and media diversity are of no importance. During the election campaign, Kickl presented himself as a "people's chancellor".
According to the Austrian media, the country is on the verge of a historic turning point. Following the resignation of the current Chancellor and Chairman of the Austrian People's Party, Karl Nehammer, under the leadership of his successor at the head of the party, Christian Stocker, negotiations for a coalition with the right are no longer impossible.