Chaos for government: probes threaten to fail - what now?

Chaos for government: probes threaten to fail - what now?

The coalition negotiations in Austria are in the crisis, and that for over three months after the National Council election of September 29, 2024. The FPÖ has won the majority in parliament with 28.8 percent, while the Övp and SPÖ significantly behind. The latest developments show that the NEOs have got out of the negotiations, which also complicated the situation. This withdrawal of the NEOS means that the possibilities for stable government formation are drastically restricted, as krone.at reported.

A central topic in these negotiations was the unfortunate transfer of media skills to the ÖVP politician Susanne Raab five years ago. This task was assigned to her based on her experience as Minister of Women - a creative attempt to use her skills in dealing with lobbyists and media. Nevertheless, the ÖVP itself never seriously supported it, which made its policy between the ORF law and media funding significantly more difficult. This internal disagreement shows the dilemma, in which the ÖVP is located, while looking after a possible cooperation with the SPÖ, such as Press noted.

the negotiation chronology

The previous negotiations are characterized by an interplay of discussions between the leading parties. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen has tried several times to bring the decisive actors like Herbert Kickl from the FPÖ, Karl Nehammer from the ÖVP and the SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler. So far, however, no sustainable solution has been found. After Nehammer and Babler came together for the first time in October, Diegemischen atmosphere in the negotiating round was clear. The FPÖ, which went most into the race, sees itself excluded from the other two parties because they strictly reject cooperation with it.

The tense budget situation, which also contains the coalition talks, is particularly problematic. There have already been the first conflicts on the payroll by the public staff and the impending budget consolidation, which forces Austria to save between 18 and 24 billion euros within seven years. The negotiations now seem to be in a dangerous standstill, while the NEOS question their inadequate participation.