“The leader of the far-right Freedom Party received a mandate from the Austrian president to form a government.”, — write: www.unian.ua
The leader of the far-right Freedom Party received a mandate from the Austrian president to form a government.
The leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, is one step closer to becoming chancellor / UNIAN collage, photo ua.depositphotos.com, WikipediaIn Austria, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, which won parliamentary elections in September, Herbert Kickl, received a mandate from President Alexander Van der Bellen to form a government, which put the party leader one step closer to becoming chancellor, writes Bloomberg.The publication reports that this happened after Chancellor Karl Nehhammer, a representative of the conservative People’s Party, failed to form a centrist coalition and resigned on Sunday. Already on Monday, Kikl met with the president to discuss the formation of the government.
If Kickl becomes head of government, it will be the first time a far-right party has led Austria since the end of World War II, the publication notes. And reminds that the Party of Freedom conducted an election campaign on a pro-Russian, anti-migrant and climate-skeptic platform.
In the material, Kikl is called “one of the least popular politicians in the country”, however, it is said, he managed to lead his party to the top of power. The politician “aggressively opposed the vaccine mandate during the pandemic and supported far-right activists who promoted the mass deportation of immigrants.”
Kikl also promised to cooperate with Viktor Orban, “the controversial prime minister of neighboring Hungary.”
The newspaper notes that after the failure to create a coalition, Nehhammer’s temporary successor, Christian Stocker, secretary of the People’s Party, quickly declared that he was ready to discuss a coalition with the Freedom Party. Although for decades the People’s Party tried to keep the Freedom Party at bay. It is suggested that this change is a “recognition of declining public support” for the People’s Party.
“Since yesterday, the situation is different. This country now needs a stable government, and we can’t waste time on election campaigns,” Stoker, until recently a sharp critic of the Freedom Party, was quoted as saying by the publication.
At the same time, geopolitical risk analyst at VE Insight in Vienna, Marcus Howe, noted that although the chances of a coalition between the Freedom Party and the People’s Party have increased significantly, it has not been decided definitively.
“Kikl holds most of the cards, and therefore can afford to be maximalist in his negotiating position. If the negotiations fail, he can simply retreat and fight in the elections, which, according to the polls, will bring further convincing gains for the Freedom Party,” Howe said. .
What is known about the victory of the Freedom Party in the elections in AustriaAs UNIAN previously reported, in the September 2024 elections in Austria, the political force that criticized aid to Ukraine was in the lead – it is the Freedom Party headed by Herbert Kickle. The conservative People’s Party came in second place.
The leader of the People’s Party, now former chancellor Karl Nehammer, ruled out forming a coalition with Kikle even before the elections.
President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed doubts about the victory of the Freedom Party due to its criticism of the EU and its failure to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The president hinted that he could prevent Kiklu from becoming chancellor.
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