Austria’s Interior Minister Christian Stronach, the head of the government, has been accused of misleading the public by the leader of the Freedom Party of Austria, Herbert Kickl, on Facebook. The reason for the criticism is the government’s asylum policy, specifically the issue of family reunification. Kickl claims that the government is deliberately deceiving the public and breaking its first promise.
Only a few days ago, the black-red-pink coalition presented its new asylum course, which included the immediate stop of family reunification. The Chancellor himself referred to an EU regulation that allows the suspension of family reunification if a member state is overwhelmed with asylum applications. The goal, he said, is to focus on the integration of those already in the country.
However, a closer look at the issue reveals a contradictory maneuver. The ÖVP has been in government for years, with Gerhard Karner as the Interior Minister, yet family reunification has not even been attempted to stop, despite Austria’s social system being already at its limits and asylum numbers remaining high.
Doubts about the Chancellor’s sincerity have been raised, particularly since his own statement suggested that the announced measure might not be implemented at all. The Chancellor stated that the EU clause would only be used if “again an overloading” is threatened, effectively questioning whether an overloading currently exists, which directly contradicts the promised “immediate stop”.
The Chancellor had previously emphasized that the suspension of family reunification would take effect immediately and that a simple signature from the Interior Minister would be sufficient. The regulation was to be prepared immediately.
For Herbert Kickl, it is clear that the government is breaking its first central promise already in the first days. “An immediate stop of family reunification sounds definitely different” Kickl sharply criticized. He accuses the Chancellor of deliberate voter deception: “An immediate stop of family reunification sounds definitely different. The first promise has already been broken. Mr. Stronach, THE SYSTEM IS ALREADY OVERLOADED! We are bursting at the seams, the situation is out of control and Austria is suffering from a massive asylum crisis.