Austria’s president tasks far-right FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl with forming new government

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen gave the green light to far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl to attempt and form the new ruling coalition after the two met in Vienna on Monday.

“Kickl has the confidence to find viable solutions within the framework of government negotiations and he wants to fulfil this responsibility,” Van der Bellen said.

If successful, it would mark Austria’s first far-right-led government since World War II.

Kickl’s party secured victory in Austria’s parliamentary elections in September, garnering 28.8% of the vote and surpassing outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party, which came in second.

Initially, Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer with forming a government in October. However, Nehammer’s party refused to enter a coalition with the FPÖ under Kickl, and other parties also rejected working with the far-right.

These efforts to create a governing alliance without the FPÖ failed by early January, prompting Nehammer to announce his resignation on Saturday.

Following Nehammer’s departure, the Austrian People’s Party indicated potential openness to collaborating under Kickl’s leadership. While talks between the two parties are not guaranteed to succeed, there are no viable alternative coalition options in the current parliament.

Additionally, polls suggest that a new election could further strengthen the FPÖ’s position.

Austria has seen far-right and conservative coalitions in the past, though the FPÖ has historically served as a junior partner.

From 2017 to 2019, the two parties governed together in a coalition that ended in scandal under the FPÖ’s then-leader. During that time, Kickl, known for his provocative rhetoric, served as interior minister.

The FPÖ’s election manifesto, titled “Fortress Austria,” advocates for strict border controls, the suspension of asylum rights through emergency laws, and the “remigration of uninvited foreigners” to create a more “homogeneous” society.

The party also opposes sanctions against Russia, is critical of Western military support for Ukraine, and seeks Austria’s withdrawal from the European Sky Shield Initiative, a German-led missile defence project.

Kickl has frequently criticised Brussels “elites” and advocates for the return of certain powers from the EU to Austria.