"Not without regret"

Letter to VdB: This is how Kickl explains his failure

On Wednesday, Herbert Kickl resigned from the government-forming mandate he had received from Alexander Van der Bellen.

(Bild: AFP)

On Wednesday afternoon, FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl resigned the government mandate he received from Alexander Van der Bellen on January 6. In a letter to the Federal President, he explained the failure of the coalition negotiations with the ÖVP. Here is the full text of the letter. 

The following is Kickl's letter to the Federal President, which was handed to Van der Bellen during the talks:

Dear Mr. Federal President!

On 6 January 2025, you tasked me with forming a stable and future-oriented government.
We then sought talks with the ÖVP with the intention of quickly forming an effective federal government according to a tight schedule. Together, we wanted to lead Austria back to the top of Europe - economically strong, socially responsible and with a migration policy that protects the interests of our country and its people.
As a first step, we succeeded in averting an impending EU deficit procedure with a clear consolidation path, thus sparing both the economy and citizens the threat of additional costs. The substantive negotiations were then launched in 13 subgroups.
However, before the points of contention could be clarified at chief negotiator level, the ÖVP insisted on clarifying the distribution of portfolios at the beginning of February. On February 4, 2025, we Freedom Party members presented a corresponding draft. Although we made concessions to the ÖVP on many points in the talks that followed, the negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful, much to our regret.
That is why I am resigning from the task of forming a government today, on February 12, 2025.
I am not taking this step without regret. However, we do not consider negotiations with the SPÖ to be expedient. The preliminary talks with Andreas Babler have shown that not only are our positions far apart on key points, but that the SPÖ is fundamentally opposed to any cooperation with the FPÖ. This has not changed since the election. Austria has no time to lose.

With best regards,

Herbert Kickl
Federal Party Chairman of the Freedom Party of Austria