New ministry

ÖVP sends Kickl another counter-offer

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer)

The back and forth over government posts continues. After Herbert Kickl continued to insist on a blue line-up for the finance and interior ministries on Wednesday, the ÖVP sent a counter-offer for the outsourcing of the asylum departments. A short time later, however, the Blue Party again issued a clear "no". 

The issue of the Ministry of the Interior had been a particular source of friction in recent days. Now the People's Party is coming up with a new proposal: "Herbert Kickl claims to have his core competencies in the areas of asylum and migration. [...] However, the ÖVP also has core competencies in the areas of security and the economy." 

Separate asylum ministry for Kickl
It is therefore conceivable for the People's Party to split up the interior ministry: "The FPÖ will have its own asylum and migration ministry. These areas would be spun off from the Ministry of the Interior. In this case, the Ministry of the Interior including the secret service and the Ministry of Finance would remain with the ÖVP."

According to the ÖVP, this would ensure that cooperation with foreign services could be maintained to the full extent and that there would be no threat to security in Austria. Furthermore, a commitment from the FPÖ to the principles presented by the People's Party on the subject of the EU and foreign policy is still expected: "Although the ÖVP has named these principles from the outset and also submitted them in writing two days ago, the ÖVP is still waiting for a response."

FPÖ insists on "fair offer"
Will the FPÖ be lured into having its own asylum ministry? Manfred Haimbuchner, Upper Austrian provincial party chairman and deputy governor, once again emphasized via a press release that the People's Party had been made "a fair offer": "The ÖVP can take over the shaping of the entire location policy with economy, energy, transport and infrastructure, the foreign policy competences including the EU agendas, as well as agriculture, education, family and national defence."

According to Haimbuchner, who currently has a working agreement with the Black Party in Upper Austria, an additional demand for the Ministry of the Interior is "difficult to understand in view of the wealth of competencies already offered". 

Norbert Hofer, FPÖ party leader in Burgenland, takes the same line and accuses the ÖVP of possibly wanting a "sole government": "Many from business and industry cannot understand this tactic by Christian Stocker and his negotiating team. I would like to thank Herbert Kickl for his foresight, because governing honestly also means making a fair offer."

Kickl blames ÖVP, rejection of asylum ministry
The blue leader himself, Herbert Kickl, also followed up on Wednesday morning. In a YouTube video, he explained that they had actually wanted to "talk about content first": "I am asked again and again: 'Why are you negotiating about portfolios and not content at this point in time?' The answer is quite simple: because that's what the ÖVP wanted."

Later on Wednesday morning, the black proposal was finally rejected. The FPÖ identified "a number of constitutional problems". A corresponding proposal by the People's Party had already been rejected on February 11. Furthermore, the Freedom Party insists on the finance portfolio.