Date postponed

Kickl and Babler will not meet until Friday

Herbert Kickl and Andreas Babler

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl has postponed the meeting planned for Thursday morning with SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler. This meeting is now to take place on Friday. On Thursday, however, Babler will speak with Werner Kogler (Greens) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS).

The meeting, which is intended to sound out possible government options after the National Council elections at the end of September, is unlikely to be too decisive anyway, as the Social Democrats have ruled out the Freedom Party as a coalition partner.

Request for talks from Van der Bellen
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen had instructed the three strongest parties to clarify among themselves how a viable majority could be achieved.

So far, Nehammer's talks have taken place with Kickl and Babler. While there was only a general confirmation of the meeting after the talks with the SP leader, the Chancellor sharply criticized the Freedom Party chairman after the meeting with Kickl.

Despite this, he remained open to a coalition with the ÖVP on Thursday.

Instead of Kickl, Babler is now talking to the Greens and NEOS
Babler will not be bored on Thursday despite Kickl's absence. The SPÖ leader has scheduled meetings with Kogler and Meinl-Reisinger. No substantive statements are planned afterwards. The two smaller parties are seen as possible partners in a coalition between the ÖVP and SPÖ, as the latter would only have a wafer-thin majority in the National Council.

Vigil in front of ÖVP headquarters in Vienna
Meanwhile, several democracy initiatives have started a democracy vigil in front of the ÖVP headquarters in Vienna. The initiatives are calling on the People's Party to live up to its responsibility to protect democracy from radicalized political forces and not to form a government with right-wing extremists.

Blue victory in National Council elections
According to the official final result, the FPÖ achieved 28.85% in the National Council elections on September 29, the ÖVP 26.27%, the SPÖ 21.14%, the NEOS 9.14% and the Greens 8.24%.

57 members of the FPÖ, 51 of the ÖVP, 41 of the SPÖ, 18 of the NEOS and 16 of the Greens were elected to the National Council.