The Austrian president asked the leader of the far right, Herbert Kickl, on Monday to find a majority to govern after the failure of discussions between conservatives, social democrats and liberals.
In Austria, the far right at the gates of power. The Federal President of the Austrian Republic, Alexander Van der Bellen, announced, Monday January 6, that he had delegated to the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ, far right), led by Herbert Kickl, to form a government after the failure negotiations between conservatives, social democrats and liberals.
In view of “the new situation (…), I instructed” Mr. Kickl, whose party came first in the legislative elections at the end of September with nearly 29% of the votes, “to lead discussions with the conservatives”, declared the current head of state, adding that it had “not been easy to take” such a decision. Although the FPÖ has already participated in power as a minority partner, it has never reached the most important position in Austrian institutions.
Before the vote, Alexander Van der Bellen did not hide his reluctance towards Herbert Kickl, who in the past called him a “senile mummy”. And the octogenarian head of state preferred, in October, to choose the outgoing conservative chancellor Karl Nehammer to lead the negotiations, contrary to custom which normally reserves this right to the winning party.
With AFP
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