Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has officially entrusted FPÖ chief Herbert Kickl with the task of forming a government. He has instructed Kickl to hold talks with the ÖVP, the President said on Monday after a meeting with the FPÖ leader in the Vienna Hofburg. Kickl will report to the President on the progress of the talks. The President justified his change of heart by stating that the ÖVP had given up its categorical refusal to form a coalition under Kickl’s leadership. “New ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker announced publicly yesterday that the ÖVP is now ready for government negotiations with the FPÖ” Van der Bellen said. The decision was expected after the President had said the day before that the voices within the ÖVP that exclude cooperation with the FPÖ under Kickl’s leadership had grown “much quieter.” If FPÖ and ÖVP ultimately agree on a government, Kickl will take over as Chancellor, the first time the FPÖ will hold the top office in the Alpine Republic. The FPÖ won the National Council election at the end of September with 28% of the vote, making it the strongest force in parliament for the first time. The ÖVP came in second with 26%, followed by the SPÖ with 21%. Initially, however, neither the ÖVP nor the SPÖ wanted to work with Kickl – coalition negotiations between the two parties and the Neos had ultimately failed at the weekend.
Kickl Takes the Reins?
