Austria in the political crisis: Who are the winners and losers?

Austria in the political crisis: Who are the winners and losers?

Herbert Kickl, the head of the FPÖ, has covered his government formation order and Austrian domestic politics is facing a fresh start. The withdrawal of Kickl's phase introduces a phase in which post-and new elections for the future of the Austrian government are on the agenda. Federal President Alexander van der Bellen now has several opportunities for government formation, which will have to be treated in the next few weeks. While some voices favor a bridging government, others see a chance in the search for new political minds to address important topics such as budget and migration, as reported 5 minutes.

Kickl's climb and the consequences

The political situation in Austria is complicated by the poor performance of Kickl in the formation of government and the failed traffic light negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and the NEOS. The latter had broken off the talks, which led to a withdrawal from ÖVP boss Karl Nehammer from all offices. Nevertheless, a current survey by Unique Research for today shows that Kickl has gained popularity in the past two weeks despite the setbacks. Alarming 32 percent of the respondents rated him positively, which secured first place in the political barometer.

The decline in the popularity of van der Bellen, who only receives 28 percent positive echo, as well as the disastrous values of the SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, who received 53 percent negative mentions, underline the difficulties of the established parties. Babler's drastic decline, combined with the conflicts within the SPÖ and the ÖVP, shows that voters are looking for alternatives and new constellations in the political system have to be tested. Sebastian Kurz, who may soon return, could also offer this situation, as indicated by 5 minutes.