The leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), Herbert Kickl, has hailed the start of a new political era as he invited the People’s Party (ÖVP) to begin talks on becoming his junior coalition partner, in his first public remarks since being tasked with forming Austria’s next government.
Speaking at the FPÖ’s press centre in central Vienna, Kickl acknowledged he had doubts about the move.
“There were also many warning voices about whether the ÖVP can be trusted. Many told me: attention, they are not playing fairly,” he said, referring to the ÖVP’s U-turn regarding a potential partnership with the FPÖ.
The invitation to the ÖVP has yet to be confirmed by the party board later on Tuesday, Kickl said.
Initially, the ÖVP had ruled out working with the FPÖ under Kickl’s leadership. However, its position has shifted since Karl Nehammer, the ÖVP leader and outgoing Chancellor, resigned from both roles over the weekend. He has been succeeded by Christian Stocker, the party’s General Secretary, who has signalled openness to discussions with the FPÖ.
“We need someone who has the same goals as us. We need someone we can trust,” Kickl said. “I am holding out my hand to the new ÖVP chairman.”
The FPÖ secured a historic 29% of the vote in September’s parliamentary elections, with Kickl pledging to cut immigration, tighten asylum rules and revive Austria’s struggling economy.
Despite winning the most votes, Kickl was initially sidelined for coalition talks. Instead, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer with forming a government, as all other parties had refused to work with the FPÖ.
However, Nehammer’s talks with the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal NEOS party broke down over the weekend, leading to his resignation as ÖVP leader and Chancellor. An interim chancellor will be announced on Wednesday.
In his statement on Tuesday, Kickl criticised the failed talks between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS as a “lost three months” and described his offer to the ÖVP to join as a junior coalition partner as “more than fair.”
“The answer to the question of its own credibility can only be answered by the ÖVP itself,” he said.
Kickl also said he could have declined Van der Bellen’s invitation to form a government, which would have necessitated fresh elections. With the FPÖ extending its lead over the second-placed ÖVP since the September vote, this would have given the FPÖ even more support, Kickl explained.
However, he felt a “democratic obligation” and “political responsibility” to accept the offer. Yet, if negotiations with the ÖVP fail, he could see new elections happening.
The FPÖ is known for its anti-immigration rhetoric, anti-Semitism, Euroscepticism and ties to Russia. Ahead of the September elections, the FPÖ joined a new nationalist alliance in the European Parliament, led by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, called Patriots for Europe. The alliance’s manifesto questions core EU principles, including the euro and common security policies.
