Austria: election winner excluded from new government?
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the incumbent chancellor Karl Nehammer from the second-placed Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) with forming the government despite the fact that the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won the parliamentary elections. According to Van der Bellen, exploratory talks had made it clear that nobody wants to form a coalition with the FPÖ and its leader Herbert Kickl.
Not undemocratic
Kurier finds the Austrian president's decision completely understandable:
“It was to be expected that the FPÖ would describe this as a slap in the face for the electorate and even election fraud. But it is certainly not undemocratic. After every election, the parties that have a majority in parliament end up governing. Those who fail to find coalition partners are then left behind, even if they won the election. There is also no clause in the constitution that obliges the Federal President to first mandate the election winner and then to wait and see if they succeed in forming a government.”
Win-win for Kickl
According to Salzburger Nachrichten the chancellor dilemma is far from resolved:
“Herbert Kickl is in a comfortable position. If the black and red parties [ÖVP and SPÖ] fail in their negotiations, he could still fulfil his dream of becoming chancellor. If, on the other hand, black and red reach an agreement on a government, Kickl can cast himself as a martyr of the evil cartel and system parties that robbed him of the chancellor's seat despite his clear election victory. Kickl may even prefer this option because it will be far better for maximising votes than taking the chancellor's seat at a time when there are no gifts to hand out.”