"The ball is in his court"

ÖVP “surprised” by Kickl posting – and counters

A point-to-point meeting or a normal negotiation skirmish? ÖVP leader Stocker must already be practising crisis management.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The waves surrounding the bumpy government negotiations hardly want to calm down. Following a Kickl post on Facebook on Wednesday, the ÖVP has now countered. The post "surprised" the party.

The situation in the power poker for the chancellorship came to a head on Wednesday. With key points in the negotiations still unresolved, the debate about possible ministerial posts is currently overshadowing the talks. 

After the FPÖ leader reiterated the party's demand for the all-important ministries of Finance and Home Affairs, this public statement appears to have taken the potential coalition partner by surprise.

ÖVP appeals to the FPÖ
"We decided a few weeks ago to negotiate honestly and constructively with the FPÖ about forming a government," an ÖVP spokesperson told the "Krone" newspaper. He added: "Many things have been resolved, but important points are still open. We were therefore surprised by Herbert Kickl's Facebook post today."

Kickl's Facebook post has not gone down well with the People's Party - he himself continues to play hardball in the negotiations.(Bild: AFP/Alex HALADA)

At the same time, the party formulated an appeal to the FPÖ. If you want to find a partner for a joint government, "you should approach them and make an offer on an equal footing." Kickl has accepted the task of forming a government and the ball is now in his court.

Major differences of opinion, will that work?
After the major disagreements of the past few days, the situation intensified further on Tuesday. According to rumors, there was even talk of breaking off the talks. In any case, the ÖVP met on Tuesday evening in a party committee convened at short notice, but no details are known.

In addition to differences of opinion on content, the division of portfolios was the main topic of discussion. On Wednesday, Kickl underlined his claim to the finance and interior portfolios. On Tuesday, a small group of party leaders met to discuss unresolved issues - but the division of ministries is said to have been discussed relatively quickly. The FPÖ is claiming portfolios that are also particularly important to the ÖVP.

The parties were somewhat angry at each other
The blue party wants the Ministry of the Interior with the areas of security and asylum, as well as the powerful Ministry of Finance, the media and cultural agendas in the Chancellery and the European agendas. "This is not an option for the ÖVP", according to Turkish negotiating circles.

According to reports, they parted somewhat angrily late on Tuesday afternoon. The ÖVP spoke of a "difficult phase". Both sides denied that the negotiations had been broken off, as newspapers had reported in the meantime - negotiations will continue on Wednesday, for example in the subgroups on social affairs and agriculture.

Crisis mood moves towards the Hofburg
Clarity as to whether the negotiations will be continued or broken off should come after the party leaders meet with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl is expected there on Thursday for a meeting that has apparently been planned for some time. ÖVP leader Christian Stocker will already talk to the head of state today, Wednesday.