Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl is rumored to be asked to form a government

VIENNA — Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen said Sunday he would meet far-right politician Herbert Kickl as speculation grew that he would ask the Freedom Party leader to form a government.

Van der Bellen made the announcement after meeting with Chancellor Karl Nehammer and others in his presidential palace. Nehammer announced his intention to resign after coalition negotiations between his conservative Austrian People’s Party and the center-left Social Democrats failed.

Nehammer has ruled out working with Kickl, but others within his party are less categorical. Earlier on Sunday, the People’s Party named its general secretary, Christian Stocker, as interim leader, but the president said Nehammer would remain chancellor for now.

Van der Bellen said he spent several hours talking with key officials, after which he got the impression that “voices within the People’s Party that rule out any collaboration with the Freedom Party led by Herbert Kickl have calmed down.

The president said the development “potentially opened a new path,” prompting him to invite Kickl to a meeting Monday morning.

Kickl’s Freedom Party topped the polls in the fall national elections with 29.2% of the vote, but Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer with forming a new government because no other party was willing to work with Kickl.

---

PHOTOS: Rumors Grow that Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl will be asked to form a government

---

The move drew sharp criticism from the Freedom Party and its supporters, with Kickl saying it was “neither fair nor logical” that he was not given a mandate to form a government.

Stocker spoke to reporters Sunday afternoon and confirmed he had been “unanimously” nominated by his party to serve as interim leader. “I’m very honored and happy,” he said.

He also welcomed the president’s decision to meet with Kickl and said he now expects the leader of the party that clearly won the last election to be tasked with forming a government.

“If we are invited to negotiations to form a government, we will accept this invitation,” Stocker added.

In the past, Stocker has harshly criticized Kickl, calling him a “security risk” for the country.

Austria was plunged into political turmoil on Friday after the liberal NEOS party withdrew from coalition negotiations with the People’s Party and the Social Democrats. On Saturday, the two remaining parties, which only have a one-seat majority in parliament, made another attempt to form a government – but this also ended in failure after a few hours, with negotiators saying that They were unable to agree on how to resolve the conflict. budget deficit.