Kickl as chancellor?

Scholz follows developments with “great concern”

(Bild: APA/AFP/Ralf HIRSCHBERGER)

According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he is following the latest developments in Austrian domestic politics with "great concern", especially as the chancellorship of FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl has now become very realistic.

Many parties have said that they do not want to work with the FPÖ: the ÖVP and also the two parties that have negotiated with the FPÖ to form a government, i.e. the SPÖ and the liberal NEOS. This statement was relevant for voters before the election, said the German head of government, whose experiment with a three-party coalition failed before Christmas, during a constituency tour in Ludwigsfelde (Brandenburg).

Herbert Kickl and his FPÖ have now been given the task of forming a government by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.(Bild: Imre Antal)

All parties that did not want to work together with the FPÖ would have a majority. "You actually have to do something with that. In this respect, this is perhaps also a reminder that you should think carefully about what you do beforehand - so that you don't wake up with a hangover afterwards, as many Austrians are certainly doing right now," warned Scholz.

Habeck warns against "exclusionitis"
The SPD leader, who is campaigning in the elections, sees parallels to the situation in his own country, where the right-wing populist AfD is celebrating similar successes to the FPÖ in Austria, while the former major parties are losing ground. The German Greens are also voicing criticism, although this is primarily directed at the parties' inability to compromise - even in Germany. Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck warned of "exclusionitis" ahead of the federal elections on February 23. This is leading to a development in which "the parties are moving further and further apart".