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AUSTRIA: FPÖ & ÖVP Leaders Meeting w/President As Coalition Talks Falter

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Leaders of the two political parties tasked with forming a governing coalition meeting with Federal President Alexander van der Bellen presently amid speculation that talks have ground to a halt and could collapse. Herbert Kickl from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and Christian Stocker of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) are meeting van der Bellen separately according to reports from Der Standard. 

  • Talks have reportedly hit a roadblock in the past week due to disagreements on the distribution of ministerial portfolios, as well as concerns within the ÖVP of whether a gov't likely led by Kickl would be sufficiently committed to maintiaining a pro-EU, anti-Russia stance, and protecting media freedoms.
  • On his way to meet the president, Kickl denied talks had broken down saying "If the negotiations had failed, you would have heard something about it." He claims that his meeting with Stocker on 10 Feb 'went well' and were carried out in a good atmosphere. The FPÖ leader has reiterated that his party holding the Interior Ministry, which controls migration policy as well as law enforcement and the security services, is not up for debate despite ÖVP demands to hold onto the office.
  • Should talks collapse there are a number of possible options. One is the appointment of a technocratic gov't of experts by the president. Another is that the ÖVP re-enters coalition talks with the centre-left Social Democrats and liberal NEOS. Alternatively, if none of these options are palatable, snap elections could be called. 
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Leaders of the two political parties tasked with forming a governing coalition meeting with Federal President Alexander van der Bellen presently amid speculation that talks have ground to a halt and could collapse. Herbert Kickl from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and Christian Stocker of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) are meeting van der Bellen separately according to reports from Der Standard. 

  • Talks have reportedly hit a roadblock in the past week due to disagreements on the distribution of ministerial portfolios, as well as concerns within the ÖVP of whether a gov't likely led by Kickl would be sufficiently committed to maintiaining a pro-EU, anti-Russia stance, and protecting media freedoms.
  • On his way to meet the president, Kickl denied talks had broken down saying "If the negotiations had failed, you would have heard something about it." He claims that his meeting with Stocker on 10 Feb 'went well' and were carried out in a good atmosphere. The FPÖ leader has reiterated that his party holding the Interior Ministry, which controls migration policy as well as law enforcement and the security services, is not up for debate despite ÖVP demands to hold onto the office.
  • Should talks collapse there are a number of possible options. One is the appointment of a technocratic gov't of experts by the president. Another is that the ÖVP re-enters coalition talks with the centre-left Social Democrats and liberal NEOS. Alternatively, if none of these options are palatable, snap elections could be called.