"Black day"

Kickl dumped: FPÖ no longer understands the world

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Tröster, APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH, APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU, APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

After Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen gave ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer the mandate to form a government, the blue state leaders are venting their anger. Dominik Nepp, for example, saw a "black day for democracy".

Salzburg Deputy Governor Marlene Svazek (FPÖ) now sees a "coalition of failures" approaching Austria, which will bring "another five lost years".

It seems that over the last three weeks we have been in a theater of Austrian domestic politics, the sole aim of which was to avoid having to acknowledge the FPÖ's election victory in realpolitik terms.

Die Salzburger Landeshauptmann-Stellvertreterin Marlene Svazek (FPÖ)

"Domestic political theater"
According to Svazek, the "domestic political theater" of the past three weeks had the sole aim of preventing the FPÖ from participating in government.

From the left: Udo Landbauer, Mario Kunasek, Marlene Svazek and Dominik Nepp express sharp criticism of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Tröster, APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH, APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU, APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Vienna's FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp saw a "black day for democracy" and the "coalition of losers ante portas".

If a Federal President Norbert Hofer were to deny a first-placed candidate from the SPÖ, ÖVP, NEOS or Greens the mandate to form a government, the political left would call for an end to democracy with mass demonstrations.

Wiener FPÖ-Chef Dominik Nepp

Federal President Van der Bellen had not only damaged the Republic with his decision, "but also his office", said Upper Austria's FPÖ leader and Deputy Governor Manfred Haimbuchner.

"Coalition of losers"
Styrian FPÖ state party chairman Mario Kunasek, who has a state election to beat on November 24, warned that the "coalition of losers" could be a model for Styria. The "disregard for the will of the voters" should not be allowed to affect the Green Mark.

Lower Austria's Deputy Provincial Governor Udo Landbauer (FPÖ) criticized Van der Bellen and his "back-room packet-making against the will of the people".

Van der Bellen is packing with Karl Nehammer against the will of the people, i.e. the only sovereign in a democracy.

Niederösterreichs FPÖ Landesparteiobmann und Bundesparteiobmann-Stellvertreter Udo Landbauer 

This was a "rigged game of the system". For the Tyrolean FPÖ leader Markus Abwerzger, Van der Bellen's mandate to Nehammer to form a government proves "that the head of state is acting purely for party political reasons".

"Packelei to the detriment of Austria" 
The Carinthian FPÖ leader and deputy federal party leader Erwin Angerer explained that this is a case of a "pack-fest" to the detriment of Austria and against the will of the people. "The government formation mandate for the big election loser was obviously planned by Van der Bellen and Nehammer since the election Sunday. Everything in between was just a distraction and staging."

Carinthia's FPÖ leader Erwin Angerer

(Bild: Clara Milena Steiner)

Alexander Petschnig, head of the Burgenland party, criticized the "break with all the customs of the 2nd Republic". According to Petschnig, this threatens Austria with a "standstill coalition based on the bad German model".

Kickl: "The last word has not yet been spoken"
For FPÖ Federal Party Chairman Herbert Kickl , there is still a chance that his party will form a government, despite the fact that Nehammer has been given the mandate to form a government. Addressing blue voters, he wrote on social media this afternoon: "... I promise you: The last word has not yet been spoken. Today is not the end of the road."