"Gateway for Moscow" Nehammer finally rejects coalition with FPÖ in Austria
Election winner Kickl from the right-wing FPÖ wants to become chancellor in Austria with the help of the conservative ÖVP. However, he is rebuffed in an exploratory meeting. What happens next?
15.10.2024, 21:07
15.10.2024, 21:15
dpa
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- Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has finally rejected a future coalition with the far-right FPÖ under party leader Herbert Kickl.
- Coalition negotiations between Nehammer's conservative ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ are now looking increasingly likely.
- Nehammer said after an initial exploratory meeting with Kickl that he would not "stand in for Herbert Kickl".
With references to Austria's Nazi history and Russian secret service activities, Chancellor Karl Nehammer has definitively ruled out a future coalition with the far-right FPÖ under party leader Herbert Kickl. Coalition negotiations between Nehammer's conservative ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ are now looking increasingly likely.
Nehammer said after an initial exploratory meeting with Kickl that he would not "act as a stooge for Herbert Kickl". Following its victory in the parliamentary elections at the end of September, the FPÖ is laying claim to the chancellorship. The right-wingers are campaigning for a coalition with Nehammer's conservative ÖVP, which was relegated to second place. No other party wants to work with the FPÖ either.
Nehammer emphasized that he shares the concerns of FPÖ voters regarding security, migration and political Islam. However, solutions must be implemented in accordance with the rule of law. It is important to "learn from the mistakes of the past, including the darkest hours that Austria has experienced", Nehammer said at a press conference.
Signs point to negotiations between ÖVP and Social Democrats
"His rhetoric is characterized by fear and radicalization", Nehammer said about Kickl. The ÖVP leader recalled Kickl's benevolent attitude towards the Identitarian Movement, which is classified as far-right by the Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The ÖVP and FPÖ last governed together between 2017 and 2019. At that time, Kickl was responsible for the dismantling of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as Minister of the Interior, said Nehammer. This had "opened a gateway" for Russia's interests, he said. The FPÖ is considered pro-Moscow, not least because of its rejection of the war-related sanctions against Russia.
On Wednesday, Nehammer will meet the leader of the Social Democratic SPÖ, Andreas Babler, for further exploratory talks. A coalition between these two parties, possibly together with the liberal Neos party, is currently considered the most likely outcome.
