Schallenberg Will Deliver Government Statement in the National Council Next Week

The head of the black-green government and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has already stated that he does not want to be part of a government with the FPÖ's Herbert Kickl. This does not change the fact that the usual procedure is being followed. Since Karl Nehammer has vacated the Chancellor's office after the failure of negotiations with SPÖ and NEOS, Schallenberg will now have to declare himself as the likely short-term head of government.

No Legislative Decisions Expected in the National Council

Before this, there will be a "current hour", the topic of which still has to be chosen by the SPÖ. According to parliamentary correspondence, the plenary programme, which was determined by the Presidium Conference today, also includes the election of members and substitute members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the extradition request of the Klagenfurt Regional Court against the Green MP Olga Voglauer. The reason is a private lawsuit by the former top functionary of the far-right Identitarians, Martin Sellner. Legislative decisions are not expected in the session.

The Presidium also discussed the contentious issue of whether parliamentary inquiries from the past legislative period should be answered or not, as some ÖVP ministries believe. According to the Presidium Conference, there was agreement on the legal view that parliamentary inquiries should be answered by the relevant ministries despite the principle of discontinuity.

On the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Parliament is also participating in a photo campaign for MPs and citizens on both the 21st and 22nd, as well as from the 24th to the 27th of January, as part of the global digital campaign #WeRemember, launched by the World Jewish Congress and UNESCO in memory of the victims of National Socialism. At the initiative of National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ), the hashtag #WeRemember is also to be projected onto the facade of the Parliament.

(APA/Red)

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