“It was an atmospherically pleasant and open conversation,” Kickl told journalists on Saturday. In the course of finding a coalition, the FPÖ’s hand was outstretched, he emphasized again. No questions were allowed in the press statement.
On Friday, Kickl was the first party leader to visit the Federal President after the National Council election. He told him that the FPÖ was the only big winner of the election, Kickl said. He also told Van der Bellen that he considers a “coalition of losers” against the FPÖ to be a “fatal signal” to voters. A firewall against democratic parties is also a “wall against democracy itself”, which does not exist without pluralism. With this in mind, he communicated openly with Van der Bellen on Friday, as always, even though they “often have different opinions.” What is remembered in this regard is that Kickl once described the Federal President as “senile” and a “mummy”.
- Video: Kickl informed Van der Bellen’s will to govern:
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Van der Bellen will address the public after the round of talks with all party leaders, said Kickl, “so now it’s his turn.” The question still unanswered is whether the Federal President will give the FPÖ chairman the task of forming a government, which usually goes to the leader of the party with the most votes. In the past, Van der Bellen had announced that he would not automatically give Kickl the job if the FPÖ won the election.
“Our hand is outstretched,” said Kickl to political competitors willing to form a coalition. He is looking for a partner with whom there is a stable collaboration and with whom there is the greatest possible thematic agreement. Stability is guaranteed in a government with two parties and a significant surplus of mandates. He did not name a specific party. But the biggest overlap is probably with the ÖVP. However, their boss Karl Nehammer has ruled out government cooperation with Kickl.
Even though he was not named, he also received criticism. Kickl described the behavior of top politicians from other parties after the election as “uncanny and undemocratic power posturing”. Despite a dramatic crash, they celebrated themselves or blamed “ungrateful voters” for their loss.
The FPÖ described Kickl as a fresh patriotic force who would bring confidence, security and opportunities for the population. A government headed by her would see itself as a “tool of the people”. The FPÖ wanted to tackle the problems facing Austria, he said, citing, for example, the recession, the “unresolved problem of illegal immigration”, a “cascade of violence” and an ailing health and care system.