Coalition Thriller Continues: FPÖ and ÖVP in Showdown Over Ministries

The coalition negotiations between FPÖ and ÖVP are entering a potentially decisive phase on Monday afternoon or evening. The exact timing of the meeting between the party leaders remained unclear for the time being. The question of the allocation of the Ministry of the Interior is still considered critical.

Negotiations Temporarily Interrupted

Last week, there was a public dispute between FPÖ and ÖVP due to differing views on the distribution of ministries. After the FPÖ presented a list of corresponding proposals to the ÖVP on Tuesday, the negotiations were interrupted. The FPÖ demanded control over the Interior and Finance ministries, as well as EU, media, and cultural agendas. The ÖVP convened its party board, and for about two days, there was complete radio silence between the negotiation leaders.

Only after individual meetings with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen did FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl and ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker agree to resume talks last Thursday afternoon. Since then, according to official accounts, there has only been a brief meeting of the party leaders in a small circle on Friday morning.

Allocation of the Ministry of the Interior as a Sticking Point

Although no official talks were scheduled over the weekend, FPÖ and ÖVP seem to have made at least a partial step forward in the distribution of ministries. The Freedom Party is said to have offered the Foreign Ministry to the negotiation partner, which would also regain EU competencies. If the ÖVP accepts the offer, the area of constitution and deregulation is expected to remain in the then FPÖ-led chancellery, according to ÖVP negotiation circles to APA.

However, both parties reportedly still claim the Ministry of the Interior and do not want to back down. Recently, the ÖVP signaled a willingness to forgo the Finance Ministry. According to APA information, it is "unacceptable" for the ÖVP that both the Finance and Interior ministries fall to the Freedom Party. A rumored solution for the Interior Ministry, whereby it could be divided, seems to be off the table according to APA information.

In principle, a division, so that the FPÖ receives the asylum agendas and the ÖVP is responsible for intelligence services and police, is legally quite possible, said constitutional experts Heinz Mayer and Peter Bußjäger to APA. An "Asylum Minister" could have authority over the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA), the latter suggested. However, the efficiency principle argues against a division. Questions of asylum and migration law are strongly linked to other security law, also concerning the intervening authorities. If, on the other hand, an ÖVP state secretary for intelligence services is placed in an FPÖ-led Interior Ministry, he is subject to the minister's instructions, Mayer explained.

NATO, Asylum, CO2 Tax: Many Substantive Issues Still Open

Substantively, there is likely still much to discuss, although the negotiation protocols from the subgroups that emerged over the weekend are somewhat older and therefore may not be entirely up to date. Nevertheless, the documents indicated partly significant substantive differences between the coalition negotiators. For example, the FPÖ wants to prevent participation in the WHO pandemic treaty and advocates for an exit from the NATO Partnership for Peace. The FPÖ also opposes plans for official buildings to display an EU flag.

Even on the asylum issue, there is no agreement: the blue negotiators want "pushbacks" at the external borders and question the right to asylum - specifically, the documents mention suspending the right to asylum "through emergency legislation." The blue desire to terminate the UN refugee pact is also likely contentious. The already known FPÖ wish to reduce medical services for asylum seekers to basic medical care ("no dental restorations, artificial joints, etc.") and obstetric care was still marked in red.

In the area of internal affairs, according to the protocols, the FPÖ wants to abolish the crisis security law. The FPÖ also wants to eliminate CO2 pricing. The blue negotiators are also considering an extension of basic military service to eight months and "compensation" for the coronavirus measures. Many major issues are still to be negotiated by the party leaders themselves.

Despite these and many other highlighted differences, it cannot be completely ruled out that an agreement could be reached.

Upper Austria Governor Stelzer Points to "Seriousness of the Situation"

With regard to the negotiations, Upper Austria's ÖVP Governor Thomas Stelzer referred to the "seriousness of the situation" during a press conference in Linz on Monday. When two parties negotiate, it means they must approach each other, and "no one can go through the wall with their head." The ÖVP is "still interested and committed" to forming a capable government.

The political counterpart, Wels FPÖ Mayor Andreas Rabl, expressed himself more calmly during the press conference. The coalition negotiations have not been going on for so long that "one should fall into great panic." It is important to wait for the negotiation process.

Is an Expert Government Coming? Federal President Prepared for All Scenarios

The Federal President's office emphasized on Monday that they are prepared for all scenarios, as stated in response to an APA inquiry. "We have plans for all scenarios in the drawer. The constitution also requires this. There must always be a capable government," the presidential office previously told the "Kronen Zeitung." Everything else - including the further schedule - depends on the parties.

If the coalition negotiations collapse, there are several possible scenarios: In addition to new elections or renewed black-red negotiations, there is also the option that the Federal President appoints an expert government - which would, of course, need to be supported by a majority in parliament.

SPÖ, Greens, and NEOS Appeal to ÖVP

The party leaders of SPÖ and Greens, Andreas Babler and Werner Kogler, appealed to the ÖVP on Sunday evening to end the coalition negotiations with the FPÖ and to hold new talks with the SPÖ and possibly a third party. "It is never too late to turn back," Kogler said on the ORF program "The Conversation." Babler appealed to the "reason" of the ÖVP. The NEOS would also be ready for new talks, said NEOS representative Sepp Schellhorn.

(APA/Red)

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