The Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) being asked to form a coalition government marks the first time since World War II that a far-right party has been tasked with doing so, after a centrist bid to assemble one without it collapsed unexpectedly over the weekend.
This has led Israeli officials to closely follow political developments in Austria, and to prepare for the possibility that the FPO will lead the government.“I did not take this step lightly,” Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said in a televised address after meeting with FPO leader Herbert Kickl. The announcement marks a dramatic reversal for the president, a former leader of the left-wing Greens who has long been critical of the party and has clashed with Kickl. Few options remained for Van der Bellen after the centrists’ failure to forge a coalition.
Some political analysts in Austria think there is a chance that Kickl will manage to form a government, but others believe that another election is a more likely scenario.“I don’t think that the chances are so high to form a government, although the president today met him [Kickl] and invited him to form a government,” Martin Engelberg, a former Austrian MP for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), told The Jerusalem Post.“That means there will be negotiations” between the FPO and the ÖVP, he said.
Kickl styled himself as “Volkskanzler” (People’s Chancellor), a term also used around 1933 by the Nazi Party in reference to Adolf Hitler, and is reported to have ties with various far-right, antisemitic, and racist groups and figures.As Kickl left his meeting with the president, hundreds of protesters, including Jewish students and left-wing activists, booed, whistled, chanted “Nazis out” and waved banners with slogans such as “We don’t want a right-wing extremist Austria.”Van der Bellen had infuriated the FPO by not tasking it with forming a government soon after the election since no potential coalition partner was immediately forthcoming. That task fell to the OVP and its leader, Chancellor Karl Nehammer. His party came in second in the election.Should those talks fail, a snap election is likely, and opinion polls show FPO support has only grown since September.The two parties overlap on various issues, particularly over taking a tough line on immigration.The thorniest issue in the centrists’ talks, however, was how to shrink the budget deficit, which is forecast to exceed the EU’s limit of 3% of economic output in 2024 and 2025.While both parties call for tax cuts, the FPO has pledged to take a knife to some of the OVP’s vested interests, such as the powerful Chamber of Commerce. They have also clashed over the FPO’s opposition to aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and current plans for a missile defense system.Van der Bellen has repeatedly said he will remain vigilant to ensure that “cornerstones of democracy” including human rights, independent media and Austria’s membership of the European Union are respected.
The party's history
In 2000, the FPO was headed by Jörg Haider, who was known for his extreme positions and statements implying the rights of the Nazis. During this period, when the party was part of the coalition, Israel summoned its ambassador in Vienna for consultations. The decision reached was to cut contact with party officials who had positions in the government.A few years ago, Karin Kneissl was appointed as Austrian foreign minister. Although she claimed she had left the FPO, Israeli officials refused to meet her at the time.“The party has definitely had a very positive attitude regarding Israel, so there is no reason why there should be a deterioration of relations between Israel and Austria,” Engelberg said. “Austria’s stance in the EU will stay the same.Relations have developed excellently also during the time of the coalition with the Freedom Party; the relations between Austria and Israel actually improved during that time… along with relations to the Jewish community.”Asked what his tip would be for Israeli officials following the Austrian political developments, Engelberg said he thinks the most important thing is to wait. “There is no reason to act at the moment – because there is no government, no coalition. Just wait and see.”Reuters contributed to this report.