Austria in the strudel: Who wins the ultimately decisive struggle for the government?

Austria in the strudel: Who wins the ultimately decisive struggle for the government?

In the political arena of Austria, it is bubbling: The Freedom Party (FPÖ) experiences an upswing while the People's Party (ÖVP) is in a crisis. As the general secretary of the ÖVP, Christian Stocker, found, the FPÖ did not exist with its propaganda. He criticized the FPÖ for supposedly pro-Russian positions and thus endangering the interests of Austria. According to Stocker, the government's precautions, in particular that of Chancellor Karl Nehammer, were crucial for the fact that Austria is well prepared for the delivery stop by the Russian Gazprom. "If we had followed the FPÖ, we would be faced with a threatening situation today," continued Stocker, who described the FPÖ as "friendly" to Putin.

fpös election success and the uncertainty of the ÖVP

The FPÖ achieved a remarkable plus of 14 percent in the last state election in Vorarlberg, which confirms the trust of voters in the party. Herbert Kickl, the Federal Party chairman of the FPÖ, speaks of a "democratization" and emphasizes that many voters who did not previously go to election have now gave the FPÖ their vote. This shows for him that the FPÖ is reaching more and more people who are dissatisfied with the previous politics. In addition, Kickl questions the refusal of the ÖVP to negotiate with the FPÖ and speaks of a “loser coalition” of the other parties that act in the sense of maintaining power. "The voters have sent a clear signal. Anyone who disregarded the voter order stands against democracy," he emphasizes.

The responsibilities of the ÖVP are increasingly questioned, especially with regard to the current challenges that the country faces. Kickl calls for a reorganization of the political landscape and sees the FPÖ as the inevitable partner for future government formation. In the current political mixture, a clear direction is required to meet the expectations of voters and to make Austria sustainable. This is not least evident in the dominance of the FPÖ in the elections that the entire political discourse in Austria has fundamentally changed.

For further details on these developments, read the article on ots.at and the comprehensive statement from Herbert Kickl on fpoe.at .