What would an FPÖ chancellor mean for Europe?
Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the leader of the right-wing populist FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, with forming a government and starting coalition talks with the conservative ÖVP. The head of state said that he had not taken this step lightly and would ensure that the principles of the constitution are respected. Commentators discuss the ramifications.
A dangerous turning point
In Der Standard, journalist Paul Lendvai warns of the threat to liberal democracy:
“Kickl as chancellor would mark a turning point in Austria - in foreign and domestic policy, economically and culturally. A fortress dominated by far-right politicians with a core of German nationalist fraternity members will join the club of destroyers led by Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico in the EU. ... The stooges, the grovellers, the mindless and characterless followers are at the ready to help the blue victor abolish the hated 'system', liberal democracy.”
This must set off alarm bells in other countries too
Austria could set a dangerous precedent - and not for the first time, the Süddeutsche Zeitung comments:
“In the mid-90s Austria saw what could be described as the birth of European right-wing populism with the rise of [long-time FPÖ leader] Jörg Haider. ... And now, just a few days into 2025, it's happening again. The scenario that seems to be emerging in Austria as one of the first countries in Western European is as follows: governments can no longer be formed without the participation or even leadership of parties that are in part right-wing extremist. ... The situation in Austria speaks volumes about the disintegration of the former traditional parties and the speed with which right-wing populist and right-wing extremist forces can rise to power. This could be the model that we will also see in Germany in a few months' time.”
Firewalls down
The failure to form a government in Austria has had a signalling effect, writes Polityka:
“Austria is sending a warning to the rest of Europe, because the firewalls are proving useless in the face of the disputes within the established parties. Politics 'as conducted so far' no longer works; the rules have changed. As the example from Vienna shows, the parties in the broader democratic camp are no longer prepared to make concessions in coalition negotiations simply to save democracy from the radicals. The latter, in turn, are no longer pretending to be interested in the traditional style of government. They are playing effectively with emotions, especially negative ones, and exaggerating them to the extreme.”
European values under threat
If an FPÖ government comes to power, it will be to the EU's detriment, NRC warns:
“Both the FPÖ's programme and earlier statements by FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl fundamentally contradict the values that the EU stands for in the areas of human rights, the rule of law and media freedom. Kickl wants good relations with Russia in order to maintain gas supplies to Austria. He wants to keep migrants out, crack down on climate activists and legally marginalise transgender people. Austria will align itself with other member states in Central Europe where anti-European populists have gained substantial political power.”
Kickl may succeed where Haider failed
Although this would be the fourth time that the FPÖ has been part of an Austrian government, this time it is different, Dnevnik explains:
“The crucial difference is that the far right now has a fair chance of securing the chancellorship. What the former governor of Carinthia [Jörg Haider] never managed to accomplish is now within reach for Kickl, a Eurosceptic, an opponent of power sharing, a major critic of the professionalism of the Austrian media, a pro-Russian politician and co-founder of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, through which he wants to change the EU together with Orbán and Wilders. If Kickl becomes Austrian Chancellor, the influence of the far right in the European world will be even stronger.”
A low point in political craftmanship
The negotiators acted immaturely, criticises Die Presse:
“What occurred over the weekend has plunged not only the ÖVP but the entire country into political chaos. ... The question of who is to blame is pointless, but it has to be asked. The fact that the elites of three parties [ÖVP, SPÖ, Neos] that describe themselves as 'key pillars of the state' have failed to reach an agreement in the course of three months marks the lowest point in this country's political craftsmanship to date. Professional politicians who are well paid using taxpayers' money are failing to do what is expected of all adults on a daily basis: reach compromises and solve problems.”
Voters swindled
Zeit Online is incensed:
“The conservatives are breaking one of their key election promises not to enter into a coalition with Herbert Kickl's FPÖ. And not only that: if this government alliance really does come about, they would lead Austria into a new era in which it becomes a country that could soon be modelled on the political situation in Hungary. ... With Nehammer's resignation, the last firewall against the right-wing populists has also fallen. ... After the failure of the coalition negotiations the decent thing to do would be to hold new elections and an election campaign in which the option of co-operation with the FPÖ was not ruled out. But with this solution the ÖVP has deceived its voters and made itself the stooge of a right-wing populist.”
ÖVP playing for time
The Salzburger Nachrichten sees the new leader of the current chancellor's party as nothing more than a stopgap solution:
“The ÖVP is also playing for time by entrusting Christian Stocker with the party leadership. He won't be the definitive leader over the next few years but only until the ÖVP knows whether it needs a chairman for a new election campaign or a leader and vice-chancellor for a blue-black coalition. Stocker is therefore just a stopgap solution and will lead the upcoming coalition negotiations with the FPÖ. Then we'll see what comes next. It's possible that the ÖVP really will enter into such a coalition. But it could also be that no agreement is reached with Kickl.”
The result of months of fruitless negotiations
La Repubblica is not surprised by this turn of events:
“The sudden acceleration towards a government that threatens to move Austria towards the pro-Russian Hungary-Slovakia axis and darken Central Europe may seem surprising. But the reasons are clear. On Saturday evening, Karl Nehammer resigned as head of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and as Chancellor. Despite three months of talks, he failed to form a government with moderate forces. He had always ruled out an alliance with Kickl's far right and was always the biggest obstacle to a rapprochement with the FPÖ. Yesterday, however, his successor, Christian Stocker, said that he would not shy away from talks with the far right.”
No need to worry about a total transformation
In an article for the far-right news site eXXpress, journalist Christian Ortner sees no threat of authoritarianism with FPÖ leader Kickl:
“It's obvious that there are certain aspects to this man that don't exactly recommend him as chancellor. ... But that's no reason to rule him out completely. Nor would his becoming chancellor transform the country into an authoritarian construct, as some of his critics and opponents, shaken by fear, are predicting. This would not be possible firstly because the FPÖ is not even close to having a parliamentary majority, not to mention the constitutional majority required for such measures. ... Given the enormous strength of the FPÖ it will hardly be possible to deny Kickl the right to assume government responsibility.”
The spectre of ungovernability is haunting Europe
Respekt sees a new trend emerging:
“A new spectre is haunting Europe's democracies – the spectre of ungovernability. As last year drew to an end the governments in France and Germany collapsed and the formation of a new government in the Netherlands proved extremely complicated. Now the coalition talks in Austria have collapsed. ... Added to that is the trend of the far right steadily gaining strength. It is benefiting from numerous crises, the difficulties in integrating immigrants, the rise of social networks at the expense of traditional media and the general pessimism in Europe. As current developments in Austria show, forming a coalition without the participation of these parties is becoming increasingly difficult.”