Austria: Van der Bellen entrusts Kickl (Fpo) with the task of forming a new government

Monday 06th January 2025 02:00 PM

“It is always my constitutional task to explore the possibilities of creating a majority government in Austria” and it is for this reason that “I have given a mandate to the leader of the Freedom Party (FPO), Herbert Kicklto form a new executive with the People’s Party (Ovp)”. This is what the Austrian president declared, Alexander Van der Bellenfollowing the interview with Kickl received today at the Presidency in Vienna.

The president stressed that this decision was not taken “lightly” and that he will ensure that “the principles and rules of the Constitution are respected.” “One of the most important constitutional tasks of the Federal President is to ensure that the country has a functioning government. Respect for the vote of voters requires that their will be reflected in government. Two of the three parties with the most votes must now collaborate. Cooperation with Kickl was then categorically excluded by the political forces present. The chancellor Karl Newhammer he then tried to form a three-way coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPO) and the Liberal Democrats (NEOS), but as you know, these negotiations failed,” Van der Bellen said.

The president then added that “after the resignation of the chancellor, the interim leader of the ÖVP, Christian Stocker, opened up to a possible coalition with the FPÖ and added that with Kickl “various questions and options” .