Coalition - Negotiations Are Resumed

Recently, there have been significant differences, especially regarding the distribution of ministries. As a result, there was even a temporary radio silence. Only after meetings of the party leaders Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen did the FPÖ and ÖVP announce on Thursday the resumption of talks.

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 ongoing. I am being briefed. We will see." When asked if he is optimistic about the formation of the coalition, he merely said "mh".

Negotiations Started

The negotiations started in the parliament at 11 a.m., confirmed FPÖ and ÖVP in a report by "Heute" (online). After about three-quarters of an hour, they were paused for internal discussions of the parties. It was planned to continue the talks in the parliament today, it was said to APA. However, when exactly this will be, could not be said upon request. It was also unclear whether anything about the content would be communicated afterwards. The aim of the meeting was, in any case, to continue the coalition negotiations, it was said from the FPÖ. The Freedom Party had been tasked with forming a government, and this task is now being further processed. The thematic subgroups are essentially through, now it is a matter of clarifying the big questions.

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 ministries, which the People's Party described as "unacceptable" because it did not correspond to the election result. The FPÖ had received 28.8 percent of the votes in September, the ÖVP 26.3.

In response to the FPÖ's demand for the interior and finance ministries as well as EU, media, and cultural agendas, the ÖVP convened its party executive. 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 then presented an alternative proposal, which was denied by the FPÖ. Only after his conversation with the Federal President on Thursday did Kickl agree with Stocker to continue the talks.

Coalition Negotiations with Unresolved Issues

Recently, the allocation of positions was certainly not the only unresolved issue in the negotiations. According to information from the APA, essential points in the subgroups are marked as "red," especially in 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 it seems they have not really made any progress 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 Freedom Party'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 Freedom Party and the People's Party "could not be more embarrassing." It is merely about positions, not about 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 People's Party and the Social Democratic Party, he could not answer, but he considers it unlikely.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.