Coalition talks collapse in Austria amid party disputes

Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) announced on Wednesday that coalition talks with the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) had collapsed.

The breakdown appears linked to the FPÖ’s insistence on controlling the interior ministry, a position the ÖVP also wants.

However, deeper differences between the parties may have caused the collapse. Their differences over relations with Russia, the EU, and internal security were publicized this weekend when a 223-page document on the negotiations was leaked to the research magazine Profil.

According to the document, the FPÖ demands halting negotiations on Ukraine’s EU accession and military support for Kyiv through the European Peace Fund.

It also demands the withdrawal of sanctions against Russia and removing EU flags from Austrian government buildings.

The party’s domestic demands include cutting funding for Austria’s main historical research institute on the Holocaust because of its work following contemporary “right-wing extremism,” which the FPÖ says is “biased.”

Meanwhile, the ÖVP insisted on retaining control of the Austrian intelligence agency and police forces, but the FPÖ refused. This dispute became the decisive issue that led to the collapse of negotiations.

The FPÖ accuses the ÖVP of trying to thwart the will of the people and says it does not deserve to make demands on powerful ministries.

According to local media reports, the FPÖ gave the ÖVP an ultimatum, giving it until 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday. In exchange for concessions, the ÖVP would receive key ministries such as foreign affairs, economy, infrastructure, and defense.

The Austrian daily Der Standard reported on Wednesday afternoon that FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl “informed Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen that coalition talks with the ÖVP had failed and that as a result, he was returning the task of forming a government.”

Vienna has been in political deadlock since the parliamentary elections last September. Kickl’s FPÖ, which emerged as the election winner, had long been subjected to a cordon sanitaire (security cordon).

Before talks with the FPÖ, the ÖVP, the center-left SPÖ, and the liberal NEOS had first attempted to form a coalition from the political center. This failed, then-Chancellor Karl Nehammer resigned, and the ÖVP turned its attention to the right, bringing the FPÖ to the brink of leading a government for the first time.

In particular, the “pro-business” wing of the ÖVP reportedly argued it could find common ground with the FPÖ on issues such as tax cuts and reducing bureaucracy.

After Wednesday’s collapse, two options seem left: new elections, which would further strengthen the FPÖ, or a new attempt at coalition talks from the center, including the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS.

FPÖ Chairman Christian Hafenecker said at a press conference on Wednesday: “The only honest solution at the moment is new elections. The FPÖ will no longer take part in sham negotiations,” he said, calling for early elections.