Coalition - Negotiations Are Resumed
Silence was agreed upon regarding the content of the talks, which began at 11 a.m. and were already concluded by noon. However, there was apparently no agreement yet on the contentious distribution of ministries. Further negotiations are to take place, with the next meeting scheduled for early next week according to the ÖVP.
After the meeting of the chief negotiators in the presidential office of the National Council was paused for internal discussions on Friday morning, about three-quarters of an hour after it began, the negotiations of the chief negotiators were reportedly continued at another location, according to the FPÖ. By 2 p.m., it was already announced that the talks for today had ended.
It was apparently agreed at least to continue the blue-black coalition negotiations. The Freedom Party had been tasked with forming a government, and they were now continuing to work on this task, it was previously stated. The thematic subgroups were essentially through, and now it was time to address the big questions.
FPÖ and ÖVP Announced Resumption of Talks
Recently, there had been major differences, especially regarding the distribution of portfolios. As a result, there was even a radio silence for a while. Only after meetings of the party leaders Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen did FPÖ and ÖVP announce the resumption of talks on Thursday.
Van der Bellen briefly commented on the current situation on the sidelines of the swearing-in of Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) on Friday: "The talks are continuing. I am being briefed. We will see." When asked if he was optimistic about the formation of the coalition, he merely said "mh".
In recent days, the negotiations seemed to be on the brink. The situation escalated on Tuesday when the FPÖ presented the ÖVP with a proposal for the distribution of portfolios, which the People's Party described as "unacceptable" because it did not correspond to the election results. The FPÖ had received 28.8 percent of the votes in September, while the ÖVP received 26.3.
The ÖVP convened its party executive in response to the FPÖ's demand for the interior and finance ministries, as well as EU, media, and cultural agendas. FPÖ leader Kickl further emphasized the FPÖ's claim to the finance and interior ministries on Facebook the following day. The ÖVP is said to have presented an alternative proposal, which was denied by the FPÖ. Only after his meeting with the Federal President yesterday, Thursday, did Kickl agree with Stocker to continue the talks.
Coalition Negotiations with Open Issues
Recently, the allocation of positions was certainly not the only open issue in the negotiations. According to APA information, significant points in the subgroups are marked as "red," especially those related to foreign policy or media, but also partially in the areas of finance and taxes. The chief negotiators are supposed to address these unresolved questions, but progress seems to have been lacking so far.
There still appears to be no movement from either side regarding the bank levy demanded by the Freedom Party. The turquoise economic wing is also likely to oppose a financial contribution from the chambers to budget consolidation. Additional points of contention include the FPÖ's desired abolition of the ORF household levy, the Sky Shield missile defense system, and a common line on European policy.
Criticism from Doskozil
Governor Doskozil was also asked about this on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony at the Hofburg and stated that the behavior of the FPÖ and ÖVP "cannot be surpassed in terms of embarrassment." It is merely about positions, not the pressing issues such as care, education, or integration. The "pathetic image" has an impact both internally and externally, criticized the governor. Whether there are currently parallel negotiations between the ÖVP and SPÖ, he could not answer, but he considers it unlikely.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.