"Krone" commentary

Kickl’s little red triumph

Anything is possible: the so-called blackberry coalition of black CDU, red SPD and dark red pro-Russian alliance Sahra Wagenknecht is now in power in the eastern German state of Thuringia. In comparison, the government negotiations of the domestic center parties turquoise, red and pink should be harmless. Unfortunately, however, key players are still preoccupied with tactics, ego and/or ideology, so we will have to keep waiting.

Franz Vranitzky has now expanded the coalition spectrum in Austria. Most recently, even the long-serving Chancellor and SPÖ leader has abandoned the doctrine he himself invented of excluding the FPÖ as a coalition partner. The majority situation had changed. So the situation has to be reassessed. I see.

We remember: Jörg Haider, a cheerful pragmatist through and through compared to Herbert Kickl, was in second or third place in polls and on election Sundays, so he could have elected an SPÖ chancellor in a red-blue government. Now the FPÖ is politically further to the right, in first place since the National Council elections with a claim to the chancellorship, and the SPÖ conscience suddenly thinks a coalition is possible? Saving what can still be saved in terms of power? There is no need to understand this red logic.

With Vranitzky's late about-turn and every day of eternal armchair negotiations instead of a government, a chancellor Herbert Kickl is getting closer. Everything is suddenly possible.