It is one thing sharing power in government with Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), quite another, however, accepting a subordinate position in coalition under the chancellorship of its firebrand populist leader. It would have been Austria’s first far-right-led government since the FPÖ, now at its strongest, was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.
However, the rationale of disgruntled moderates in the conservative People’s party (ÖVP) prevailed on Wednesday, collapsing coalition talks, and quite likely propelling Austria back to an election.
The talks had this time been initiated by, and then collapsed, by FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl following the failure of earlier discussions between three moderate parties, the ÖVP , the Social Democrats and the smaller, liberal NEOS.
The ÖVP has not been averse to sharing power with the Freedom Party in the past, but the demands, which would have seen sharp Austrian U-turns on issues such as relations with Russia, the European Union and domestic security were too much to stomach. Leaked position papers reveal that the FPÖ demanded an end to EU sanctions against Russia and to military support for Kyiv, and of accession talks for Ukraine.
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The party is seeking the defunding of Austria’s main historical research institute into the holocaust because of its work tracking contemporary far-right extremism, while its desire to control the security services would alarm allies and is completely unacceptable to the ÖVP. It said the talks “failed due to Herbert Kickl’s thirst for power and uncompromising attitude”.
The country’s largely ceremonial president, Alexander Van der Bellen, is responsible for initiating government formation talks, and now has the option to ask the ÖVP to reconsider a grand coalition with the social democrats or to call a general election, a prospect the FPÖ would relish. Recent polling put the party on a very strong 37 per cent, up from its high-point 29 per cent in the elections last September.
Austria’s political stalemate looks likely to be prolonged.
