- Title: Austrian far right says coalition talks have collapsed
- Date: 12th February 2025
- Summary: FPO SECRETARY GENERAL MICHAEL SCHNEDLITZ ANNOUNCING “HERBERT KICKL!” KICKL ON STAGE AS SUPPORTERS CHANT “HERBERT” (SOUNDBITE) (German) FPO PARTY LEADER, HERBERT KICKL, SAYING: “We have made Austrian history because this is the first time that the Freedom Party is number one in national elections.” FPO SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING KICKL SUPPORTERS CHANTING “KANZLER! KANZLER!“ (CHA
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Herbert Kickl coalition far-right fpo government
- Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
- City: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
- Country: Austria
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003079612022025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Talks to form Austria's first coalition government led by the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) have collapsed, the FPO said on Wednesday (February 12).
FPO leader Herbert Kickl "has informed President Alexander Van der Bellen that the coalition talks with the OVP have failed", the FPO said in a statement.
The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO is seeking to lead a government for the first time since it was founded in the 1950s under a leader who had been a prominent Nazi.
The FPO came first in September's parliamentary election with around 29% but was only tasked with forming a government last month once a centrist attempt to do so without it failed. The OVP is its only potential coalition partner.
The FPO initially planned to reach a deal quickly since it overlaps with the OVP on many issues, particularly taking a hard line on immigration. But the mood soured as it became clear the FPO was making many demands that were always going to be difficult or unacceptable for the OVP.
"This shows that we are not power hungry. It is more than fair, unless the OVP wants to govern alone," the FPO said in a statement on Wednesday outlining a proposed division of ministries between it and the OVP.
The FPO's insistence that it control both the finance and interior ministries has been a major obstacle in the talks, as has a laundry list of demands such as exceptions to sanctions against Russia or challenging the primacy of European Union court rulings.
The OVP published its own suggestion on ministries that the FPO quickly rejected. It also said the FPO had not addressed its demand that fundamental matters be guaranteed, such as the rule of law, the absence of Russian influence, and Austria being a "reliable partner to the European Union".
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