What you need to know is that, after a brief statement from the ÖVP, the video played out on social media was already the second reaction to a suggestion from Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen that the leaders of the three larger parties – i.e. FPÖ, ÖVP and SPÖ – meet again should meet and talk to each other. According to Van der Bellen, the public deserves “clarity” and must know whether the current “stalemate” (Van der Bellen) will remain, which is: Herbert Kickl wants to become Chancellor, but does not have a parliamentary majority for it; and none of the other parties, including the SPÖ or ÖVP, want to negotiate with him about this mandate majority and thus a coalition pact.
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Most recently, Herbert Kickl and his office were busy setting up bilateral discussions with Nehammer and Babler. They should be done by the end of next week. They will start on Tuesday – between FPÖ and ÖVP as well as between SPÖ and ÖVP; The SPÖ and the Freedom Party will meet on Thursday. Statements about the process will only be made – if at all – after reports have been sent to the Federal President.
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What is remarkable is that the ÖVP boss and the SPÖ boss will meet again next week. As reported, there was already a meeting between Nehammer and Babler on Tuesday. Apart from the rather tough conversations in TV studios due to the election campaign and its topics, people have hardly met in person – that should now change. In addition, says a spokeswoman, we now have to talk more about content.
Observers see this gesture as a delicate advance payment for everything that will come in the week after next and the following months. Because in the event that Babler, Nehammer and Kickl do not abandon their positions, which have remained unchanged for weeks, the People’s Party and the SPÖ will have to negotiate whether they should enter into closer government talks as a couple or with a partner like the Neos.
This means that the Freedom Party would be out of the race for the time being, despite enormous gains and first place in the National Council election.
A scenario that would not correspond to the will of the voters, as Kickl confirmed at a media event on Saturday.
However, the FPÖ does not want to comment on the current Nehammer video with reference to the planned conversation.
When asked by the KURIER on Friday evening, the People’s Party government team did not see much room for interpretation of the video: Karl Nehammer had simply repeated what he had been saying for weeks, if not months, namely: no state could be created with the Kickl-FPÖ. And the fact that the name of the libertarian is not always mentioned does not detract from the content.
