Comment on the sweet treat

What lasts a long time becomes good? Doubts are justified

SPÖ, ÖVP and NEOS dare to try again(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Georg Hochmuth, Martin A. Jöchl, Mario Urbantschitsch)

On Thursday, day 144 after the National Council elections, the black-red coalition seemed to be on the verge of being finalized.

But as we have learned, almost nothing is fixed in coalition negotiations. That's why the world looked different again on day 145: Suddenly, what had collapsed on day 96 was revived: the ÖVP and SPÖ got the big jitters about how they should govern with just one mandate overhang in the National Council and started again what they had already started once exactly 100 days ago: negotiations on a three-way coalition, which seemed to have gone down in contemporary history as a brilliantly failed attempt under the name turquoise-red-pink "Zuckerl".

Commentary on the major issues affecting Austria: Klaus Herrmann, Managing Editor-in-Chief(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Now the Zuckerl is alive again. At least that was the situation on day 145. What will day 146 bring us? New twists and turns? Despite the exhortations from the Hofburg to "find solutions through compromise", there is no government statement on the agenda for day 150, next Wednesday, when the National Council meets as planned.

What takes a long time will finally be good? Reasonable doubts are justified.

But hops and malt are not yet completely lost, and the revived confectionery has a chance of becoming reasonably sweet.

Sour too, of course.

Sweet or sour? What's in store for us? A sweet Zuckerl coalition?

Just not a horrible Halloween government, please!