FPÖ Offer to ÖVP: Kickl Insists on Interior and Finance Ministry in Coalition Negotiations

The negotiations for forming a coalition remain complicated. On Wednesday, the FPÖ and ÖVP exchanged proposals through the media regarding the distribution of ministries, which were not necessarily compatible. Additionally, various discourtesies were exchanged. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl made it clear in a video beforehand that it was not the FPÖ's fault that there was constant talk about ministries. That was the ÖVP's wish. The Freedom Party would have preferred to clarify the content beforehand.

FPÖ Demands Interior and Finance Ministry from ÖVP

According to the new proposal from the Freedom Party, they would receive six ministries in a blue-turquoise government: In addition to the Federal Chancellor himself and the Chancellery (including the areas of constitution, deregulation, media, and digitalization), these would also include the Interior and Finance Ministries, which the ÖVP also has its eyes on. Additionally, new compared to previous proposals would be a Ministry of Labor, which should also include integration. There would also be a ministry for health, sports, and tourism.

ÖVP to Receive Seven Ministries According to FPÖ Offer

According to the blue proposal, the ÖVP would receive seven ministries: Foreign Affairs including the EU, transport and infrastructure, economy, research and energy, national defense and public service, agriculture and environment. New is that (in exchange for the now blue labor ministry) the social sector would also go to the ÖVP, including women, family, and youth. Additionally, there would be education, science, art, and culture. The Ministry of Justice would be filled with an independent candidate.

ÖVP's Own Proposal to FPÖ

The ÖVP apparently does not like the offer. Because on Wednesday, they sent out their own proposal. This includes two variants, each seeing the Interior Ministry with the People's Party. In one proposal, however, the asylum agendas would be outsourced to a separate ministry that would go to the FPÖ. The catch: In that case, the finance ministry would go to the ÖVP. The other variant envisions a Freedom Party state secretary for asylum in a VP-led Interior Ministry. The finance ministry would then go to the FPÖ. The FPÖ did not take long to reject the offer. Keeping the finance ministry with the ÖVP would mean that the party responsible for the financial imbalance could continue to work there. A shared interior ministry, in turn, would be fraught with a multitude of constitutional problems. State secretaries in ministries of the other party had already been ruled out in advance.

FPÖ Confirms Offer to ÖVP

"This is the liberal offer," confirmed the blue Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz regarding the content of the paper that had been sent to ÖVP leader Stocker. Through such a division, the ÖVP could "operate in all its core competencies." For example, the entire location policy would fall to them. In view of the proposal, "it is probably obvious that the FPÖ, in return, claims its core competencies located in the Ministry of the Interior - security and asylum - for itself." On Wednesday, another meeting between party leaders Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker was scheduled, where the blue proposal is to be discussed. After a meeting the day before reportedly lasted not even half an hour, it is questionable whether they will meet at all or just talk on the phone. Afterwards, both parties could make a final decision on whether to continue negotiations at all. In this regard, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also exerted pressure after talks with Kickl and Stocker on Tuesday.

ÖVP Criticism of FPÖ

Regardless of the positions, there was further criticism from the ÖVP towards the Freedom Party. Secretary General Alexander Pröll complained that the FPÖ had still not responded to the list of principles for a joint government presented by the People's Party on Monday. This included, for example, a commitment to "Skyshield." According to the FPÖ, this is a mix of self-evident matters and things that have already been constructively and extensively discussed in a specially established consensus/dissent group since the beginning of the negotiations. In addition, there are some points that need to be discussed at the level of the chief negotiators, whereby the ÖVP is precisely refusing this discussion because it wants to have the issue of departments clarified first. Vorarlberg's Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) saw FPÖ leader Kickl "caught in a power frenzy" instead of making viable substantive and competence-related compromises: "If he insists on these positions, no state can be made with him," Wallner stated in a broadcast. A chancellor must demonstrate dialogue skills, act statesmanlike, and work with all responsible parties - on equal footing, with respect, and a clear pro-European stance. However, Kickl remains in opposition mode.

FPÖ State Politicians Advocate for "Civic Cooperation"

In response, the FPÖ mobilized its own state politicians. Upper Austria's Deputy Governor Manfred Haimbuchner saw the FPÖ's proposals as "an expression of civic cooperation." The FPÖ is ready to work with the ÖVP "with this honest division of departments" for our country. Burgenland's FPÖ club chairman Norbert Hofer also stepped out to support the federal party. He thanked Kickl for his "foresight" in the offer to the ÖVP. Because governing honestly also means making a fair offer. Civic cooperation and honest division of core competencies is what the location Austria, the economy, and also the population need now.

Styria's FPÖ Governor Mario Kunasek sees it similarly: On the sidelines of a press conference on Wednesday, he emphasized that the FPÖ's offer regarding the division of ministries according to the core competencies of the two parties is, in his view, "very fair." The ÖVP would now even get one more ministry. That the FPÖ wants the Ministry of the Interior is logical. By the way, he does not want to comment on the "verbal excursions" of ÖVP leaders like Wallner. Kunasek holds nothing of an expert government: "That is a government that administers and sets no accents, but Austria needs politics." He hopes that the FPÖ and ÖVP will still agree at the federal level and form a coalition.

How things will proceed was unclear. There was no information from the presidential office on whether another visit by Kickl is planned. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen made it clear on Tuesday evening after meetings with the FPÖ leader and VP chairman Christian Stocker that he wants a quick resolution.

(APA/Red)

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