Austria: Conservatives discuss coalition with the extreme right
By
Markus Salzmann
1 November 2017
Ten days after the Austrian parliamentary elections, the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) has begun negotiations on the formation of a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).
The 31-year-old leader of the ÖVP, Sebastian Kurz, had already largely adopted the xenophobic slogans of the far right during the election campaign. Now, he wants to form a government with the FPÖ, which along with even more strident policies against refugees and foreigners, intends to impose further austerity measures plus a massive buildup of the state forces.
The ÖVP is a member of the European People’s Party and aligned with the German conservative parties, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union. It is a conservative party with one of the longest histories in Europe. For its part, the FPÖ is allied in the European parliament to the French National Front, the Italian Northern League, the far-right Dutch PVV led by Geert Wilders and other far-right parties. By opening the door to government participation in Austria, the ÖVP is also preparing the path for the integration of the far right into government in other European countries.
Kurz, who is seeking to head the new government with the support of the far right, promised talks “on an equal footing”. After the first round of talks on Wednesday, he said: “It was a positive round, it was a positive atmosphere”. The leader of the FPÖ, Heinz-Christian Strache, described the meeting as a “positive way of getting to know one another”. Both men emphasised that the new alliance should be in place by Christmas.
Both the content of the negotiations and those taking part reveal the course of…