Coalition Negotiations: Kickl Invites ÖVP

Kickl will propose to the FPÖ party committees this evening to initiate talks with the People's Party. Clarity will then be needed quickly as to whether a government can be formed. According to Kickl, changes within the ÖVP and agreement are necessary for this: "If this is not guaranteed, then it's over again." The FPÖ is ready for early elections.

Kickl's Demand to ÖVP

Kickl emphasized that he is not looking to the past but to the future. Unforgiveness leads to nothing, even though he understands the skepticism of some warners towards the People's Party: "At first, I also thought I was hearing things," said the FPÖ leader about the ÖVP's swing towards the Freedom Party. That he is now talking to the People's Party is not easy for him either. At the same time, he addressed the ÖVP, stating that they will have to recognize who has become the strongest party and who has landed in second place.

Kickl also peppered his offer of talks to the ÖVP with warnings. He now wants "no games, no tricks, no sabotage, no obstruction, no politics for the sake of power," he said towards the new party leadership. It needs a partner who is united, homogeneous, and stable. He also does not want a ÖVP torn apart internally as a coalition partner, where different actors pursue different goals. "If this is not guaranteed, then it's over again," said the FPÖ leader.

Kickl's "Interesting Past" with Stocker

Kickl does not seem to fear a new election, should the talks fail, as he made clear. He could have taken the easy and comfortable path in his conversation with the Federal President, given the "victory run" of his party and good poll numbers. "I trust the Freedom Party to materialize these poll numbers," said the party leader. "I have chosen the path of political responsibility."

Kickl now also wants to "invest trust" in the new acting ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker, who as a former general secretary of his party had particularly targeted him: "This is not easy for me either. We have an interesting shared past." Personal feelings would play a subordinate role in the case of government negotiations, emphasized the FPÖ chairman. "Our hand is thus further extended, or if you want, extended again." Questions were not allowed at the press statement.

The Freedom Party had already published a position paper for negotiations after the failure of the first talks with the People's Party - still under party leader and Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer - and always preferred the turquoise as a possible coalition partner. The green light for negotiations with the ÖVP in the presidency of the Freedom Party is likely to be a mere formality this evening. Although the arriving representatives from the states were uniformly reticent, they were also optimistic, as was repeatedly emphasized. Kickl himself only briefly stopped in front of the media representatives on his way into the club, because: "I'm a bit late and being late is not a good virtue."

ÖVP Wants to Blame SPÖ

ÖVP parliamentary group leader August Wöginger later told Ö1: "If you're serious about this, it's certainly necessary to rebuild trust." The ÖVP is aware of its "responsibility for the country and the people". They have never shied away from this. Regarding Kickl, Wöginger said: "But it's not time to put pressure."

Before the press conference, the ÖVP parliamentary group leader once again tried to blame the SPÖ for the failure of coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS. "Babler has cleared the way for Kickl," Wöginger stated in a press release. SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler had "stubbornly clung to old left-wing dogmas and showed no willingness to compromise to move the country forward," he argued, much like outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) the day before.

SPÖ Again Rejects ÖVP Accusations

SPÖ Federal Manager Klaus Seltenheim did not let this stand. The Social Democrats had taken their responsibility for state policy seriously and had been willing to take responsibility. However, in the ÖVP, those forces had prevailed that had wanted black and blue from the start, according to a press release.

Kogler Criticises ÖVP

Criticism of the ÖVP came from Green Party leader Werner Kogler. He described the sequence of events since the National Council election as "incredible, outrageous, undignified and ultimately irresponsible". The action was probably the "greatest voter deception of the Second Republic", Kogler said in a video statement on X. The ÖVP had run a campaign to prevent a "People's Chancellor Kickl" and then they had "turned on their heel" to make exactly that possible. Kogler announced a "sharp" opposition policy and that the Greens would seek cooperation with the SPÖ and NEOS.

(APA/Red)

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