Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has asked the leader of the conservative People’s Party (OVP) and current Prime Minister Karl Nehammer to form a coalition government – despite the fact that the far-right Freedom Party won the election. won the general election last month.
Anti-immigrant people The pro-Russian Freedom Party came out on top in the September election with almost 29% of the vote and the party’s leader, Herbert Kickl, said he should lead the next government.
However, all other parties have ruled out forming a coalition with him.
After talks between the three largest parties, President Alexander Van der Bellen said that it was clear that Kickl “will not be able to find a coalition partner who can make him Prime Minister.”
“The parliamentary election on September 29 is not a race in which the party that crosses the finish line first will automatically form the government,” the 80-year-old president said in a televised address.
“If any party wants to govern alone, it must overcome the 50% barrier. Reaching 10, 20 or 30% is not enough.”
Van der Bellen said he had asked the current Prime Minister, Karl Nehammer, whose conservative party is second with 26.3%, to hold coalition talks with the Social Democrats, which is third. , with 21%.
However, a coalition between conservatives and the Social Democrats would only win a majority of one seat.
In a statement to the media, Nehammer said that to ensure a stable majority in parliament, a third partner is needed.
That third party could be the Green Party or the libertarian Neos Party.
Nehammer said he could not know “whether these talks and negotiations will actually lead to the formation of a government.”
However, what I can promise you is that I will act in a spirit of stability, trustworthiness and responsibility towards our country.”
In a statement on Facebook, Herbert Kickl said that the President had broken the “tried and tested normal processes” of the Austrian republic, by not giving the winner of the election a mandate to succeed. establish a government.
“This may seem like a slap in the face to many of you,” he wrote.
“But I promise you: the last word has not yet been spoken. Today is not the end of the story.”
