Austria in the political crisis: President Van der Bellen acts!

Austria in the political crisis: President Van der Bellen acts!

Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has called for a dialogue with the political parties after the coalition talks between the Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) (ÖVP). In the coming days he would like to meet with representatives of the parties to find possible solutions from political dead end. Van der Bellen urgently appealed to the politicians to make compromises and approach each other again in order to defuse the federal political situation after the talks have failed about a so-called blue-black coalition. This is reported by the Radio Ennepe Ruhr .

The situation in Austria is tense. In the parliamentary elections in autumn 2024, the FPÖ emerged as the winner, but the formation of a stable government has proven to be extremely difficult. The failed negotiations on a triple coalition between the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos led to another standstill. After the defeat in the first attempt, the parties had no other options than the search for new solutions.

Options for coping with crisis

Federal President van der Bellen has proposed four possible options to get out of the current political crisis: new elections in the National Council, a minority government, tolerated by Parliament, a temporary expert government or the formation of a new coalition between several parties. In this context, he emphasized that the government's exact composition was not decisive as long as a functional solution was found. This information complements apa .

In the past few days, Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ chairman, has returned Van der Bellen's government education order. This happens after a meeting between him and the ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker, in which the negotiations on a coalition have finally failed. Kickl blames the ÖVP for this failure and claims that the FPÖ had made concessions in many points.

confrontation instead of consensus

The conflict between the two parties is intensified because they can hardly agree on fundamental questions. A central point of dispute is the Ministry of the Interior, which both parties claim. While the ÖVP proposed to outsource migration and asylum, the FPÖ rejects this proposal. FPÖ boss Kickl argues that his party's core competencies are in the Ministry of the Interior. The Tagesschau emphasizes that despite all efforts for an agreement that could not be bridged between the parties.

Public communication has also tightened. The ÖVP criticizes the FPÖ for a lack of willingness to cooperate, while Kickl vehemently points out that the ÖVP refuses to discuss political content. While the parties are still in a fixed position, it remains to be seen whether the meeting with van der Bellen can open up new perspectives or whether the political situation in Austria remains unchanged.