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The federal president of Austria commissions the far-right Herbert Kickl to form a government

The federal president of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, commissioned on Monday the far-right Herbert Kickl, leader of the liberal party FPÖ, to form a new government after the collapse of negotiations between conservatives, social democrats and liberals.

After meeting this morning for an hour with Kickl, the head of state said that he has instructed him to negotiate with the popular party ÖVP on the formation of a government coalition.

“Mr. Kickl has the necessary confidence to find viable solutions within the framework of government negotiations, and he wants to assume this responsibility, so I commissioned him to enter into talks with the ÖVP on the formation of a federal government,” Van der Bellen said.

“I have not taken this step lightly, I will continue to ensure the correct compliance and observance of the principles and rules of our Constitution,” added the president, who in the past had been against a government led by Kickl.

It is the first time in the history of Austria that the far-right FPÖ, winner of the elections of last September 29 with about 29% of the votes, is commissioned to form a government.

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“The ÖVP has reversed its categorical rejection of cooperation with Kickl. That’s the new situation,” Van der Bellen said about the change of position announced on Sunday by the new conservative leader, Christian Stocker.

He succeeded yesterday the hitherto federal foreign minister and conservative leader, Karl Nehammer, who had announced his resignation on Saturday after failing the negotiations for a tripartite government between the ÖVP and the social democratic party SPÖ and the liberal Neos.

Nehammer was against a coalition with the FPÖ under Kickl, which he accuses of being a danger to the country’s security for his xenophobic, pro-Russian and critical positions of the European Union (EU).

Who is Kickl?

Kickl is a former Minister of the Interior (2017-2019) in a government led by former conservative foreign minister Sebastian Kurz.

In June 2021, he assumed, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the presidency of the FPÖ and radicalized the tone and discourse of the party.

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He not only rejects the measures taken by the then conservative-ecologist government against the coronavirus, but also Western support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, the cooperation of neutral Austria with NATO, and is critical of the EU.

One of Kickl’s main allies is the Hungarian Prime Minister, the ultra-nationalist Viktor Orbán, with whom he formed the “Patriots for Europe” faction, the third group of the European Parliament.

In addition, the FPÖ maintains close relations with Alternative for Germany (AfD), in which there are elements who are being investigated by the German justice as right-wing extremists.

The FPÖ is a party founded after World War II by former Nazi hierarchs and to this day brings together the most extremist and right-wing circles in the country.

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