Lukas Mandl, an ÖVP MEP, also considers a minority government of ÖVP and Liberals in Austria possible, after Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the FPÖ under Herbert Kickl with forming the government.
“I belong to those who always think in alternatives” Mandl told the Phoenix TV channel. The President gave the government formation task to the head of the strongest party and now it’s up to Herbert Kickl to fulfill the government formation task, and we’ll see how he handles it, the ÖVP politician said.
For him, his criticism of the FPÖ and the leadership under Kickl remains unchanged. As a Christian democracy, the ÖVP knows the value of “European integration, eco-social market economy, and transatlantic cooperation” and will therefore also engage in possible coalition talks, Mandl said.