POLITICS
Austrian far-right gets mandate to try to lead government
January 7, 2025 - The leader of Austria’s Freedom Party has received a mandate to try to form a new government, which would be the first headed by the far-right since World War II if he succeeds.
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The anti-immigration and Eurosceptic Freedom Party, which opposes sanctions against Russia and is led by Herbert Kickl, won Austria’s parliamentary election in September, beating outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative People’s Party into second place.
But in October, President Alexander Van der Bellen gave Nehammer the first chance to form a new government after Nehammer’s party said it wouldn’t go into government with the Freedom Party and others refused to work with the Freedom Party at all. Those efforts to form a governing alliance without the far right collapsed in the first few days of the new year and Nehammer said Saturday that he would resign.
The People’s Party then signalled that it might be open to working under Kickl. Van der Bellen said after meeting Kickl for about an hour at the presidential palace Monday that he had tasked the Freedom Party leader with holding talks with the People’s Party to form a new government, AP said.