"Krone" commentary

Political marriages of convenience instead of love for Valentin

No love between Kickl and Babler, but they don't have to be together either ...

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer)

They don't love each other, they can't even get along properly: and yet at least two of the five party leaders will have to appear before the Federal President together. How this is supposed to work and who is most likely to find each other - a commentary by "Krone" managing editor-in-chief Klaus Herrmann.

None of them love each other. Not quite true: Karl Nehammer, former leader of the ÖVP since January 5, liked his Green Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler - and probably still likes him, but he has disappeared from the public eye and no longer comments on anything.

He liked Kogler, but he couldn't stand the Greens and obviously couldn't stand the ÖVP long before the end of the turquoise-green coalition. Nehammer certainly couldn't stand Herbert Kickl - he had expressed this convincingly during the election campaign and was therefore not prepared to negotiate a coalition with him.

Nehammer's successor Stocker didn't like the blue election winner either - and yet he negotiated a blue-black marriage of convenience with him for more than a month. One can assume: Stocker and Kickl still can't smell each other, or even less so now. Even though Kickl even personally threw a few flowers at Stocker shortly before Valentine's Day during his Chancellor's farewell party on prime time TV. After all.

The commentary on the big issues affecting Austria: Klaus Herrmann, Managing Editor-in-Chief

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

New partners are now being sought again. We haven't heard that political hearts were already flying on Valentine's Day. But we no longer expect that. But political partners should be able to get along with each other to some extent.

Stocker-Babler dream couple 
Over the last few days, as more and more information about the apparently totally botched negotiations between the FPÖ and ÖVP became known, there has been repeated talk of how Sebastian Kurz and Heinz Christian Strache once built up trust in each other. Successfully - but in the end it did not prevent Kurz from (rightly) sending Strache into the desert because of the Ibiza scandal.

Somehow everyone is also having a hard time with Andreas Babler. Karl Nehammer as well as Beate Meinl-Reisinger. But also Babler's own party friends from Vienna to Burgenland and scattered across the Republic. Babler is hardly comparable to Herbert Kickl - but Christian Stocker won't have it much easier with him either. People are still not weaving wreaths of flowers for each other.

But perhaps a good part of the Republic will soon be scattering roses for the "dream couple" Stocker-Babler when they walk down the aisle, sorry, in front of the Federal President ...