• Investing
  • Stock
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Economy
The Significant Deals
Editor's Pick

Austrian far right demands conservatives be ‘honest’ in coalition talks

by January 7, 2025
written by January 7, 2025

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA (Reuters) -Austrian far-right Freedom Party (FPO) leader Herbert Kickl called on the conservative People’s Party (OVP) to be “honest” in their imminent coalition talks or face the prospect of a snap election, with his support still rising and the OVP’s falling.

The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO, an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz, won the last parliamentary election in September with around 29% of the vote but was initially sidelined as centrist parties attempted to form a coalition without it.

Those efforts collapsed at the weekend, prompting President Alexander van der Bellen to task Kickl with forming a government, giving Kickl a chance to become Austria’s first FPO chancellor since his party was founded in the 1950s under a leader who had been a senior SS officer and Nazi lawmaker.

“Honest government must be preceded by honest negotiations,” Kickl said, adding: “No little games, no tricks, no sabotage.”

He also called on new, interim OVP leader Christian Stocker to ensure his party is stable and united, a reference to divisions that appear to have helped collapse the centrist coalition talks.

“If that is not the case, then … there will be snap election. We are prepared,” Kickl said, a clear threat given that opinion polls show FPO support has only risen since September while the OVP’s has fallen, with the gap growing to more than 10 percentage points.

Kickl’s statement, his first since Van der Bellen announced that he had tasked him with forming a government, was short on policy details.

He said he wanted a “massive political firefighting operation” to bring the Alpine republic’s finances under control but did not give specifics.

How to bring the budget deficit back within the European Union’s limit of 3% of economic output was the main sticking point in the centrist coalition talks.

It is unclear how the FPO and OVP would achieve that – they both prefer to trim government spending to raising taxes, but are wary of cutting big-ticket items like pensions.

Kickl said he would extend the invitation to talks to the OVP, his only potential coalition partner, after his party’s leadership signs off on the move on Tuesday evening, and that once the talks begin they should quickly establish whether a coalition is possible.

This post appeared first on investing.com
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Column-Trump trade uncertainty exposes stretched markets to volatility shocks: McGeever
next post
Wall St slips as upbeat data sparks uncertainty on Fed’s easing cycle

You may also like

China central bank conducts 1.7 trln yuan of...

January 27, 2025

Fuji Media, rocked by sexual misconduct allegations, says...

January 27, 2025

ECB president fears loss of central bank independence

January 27, 2025

European tech shares tumble as China’s AI push...

January 27, 2025

Futures slip as investors eye China’s latest AI...

January 27, 2025

Markets may be repeating the mistake of 2019,...

January 27, 2025

How billionaire Caltagirone could influence Italy’s banking M&A...

January 27, 2025

How Italy’s MPS went from near collapse to...

January 27, 2025

Analysis-To weather Trump, emerging market investors look to...

January 27, 2025

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek overtakes ChatGPT on Apple...

January 27, 2025
Fill Out & Get More Relevant News








    Stay ahead of the market and unlock exclusive trading insights & timely news. We value your privacy - your information is secure, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Gain an edge with hand-picked trading opportunities, stay informed with market-moving updates, and learn from expert tips & strategies.

    Recent Posts

    • Procter & Gamble to cut 7,000 jobs as part of broader restructuring

      June 6, 2025
    • Shein and Temu see U.S. demand plunge as loophole for cheap goods closes

      June 6, 2025
    • Shein and Temu see U.S. demand plunge as loophole for cheap goods closes

      June 5, 2025
    • This California startup is cleaning water and removing CO₂ from the atmosphere — all at a reduced cost

      June 5, 2025

    Categories

    • Economy (245)
    • Editor's Pick (3,646)
    • Investing (504)
    • Stock (6,426)

    Latest News

    • Procter & Gamble to cut 7,000 jobs as part of broader restructuring
    • Shein and Temu see U.S. demand plunge as loophole for cheap goods closes

    Popular News

    • GameStop, MicroStrategy shares rise after Ryan Cohen posts photo with Michael Saylor
    • What is the overall impact on Hurricane Milton on US stocks and sectors?

    About The Significant deals

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Copyright © 2025 thesignificantdeals.com | All Rights Reserved

    The Significant Deals
    • Investing
    • Stock
    • Editor’s Pick
    • Economy