"Krone" commentary

A dark quartet – and many unanswered questions

Meinl-Reisinger, Stocker and Babler have moved closer together with Van der Bellen and could soon present a government agreement.

(Bild: Eva Manhart)

Three gentlemen in dark-dark blue suits, with white shirts and dark-dark blue or dark gray ties, next to a lady in black trousers, white lace blouse and medium blue jacket: No, not a funeral procession at the Central Cemetery, but the presumed new leadership quartet in the state of Austria, presenting themselves to the public together for the first time in the Hofburg.

Because the incumbent Federal President Alexander van der Bellen received (in dark blue/dark blue/white) the presumed future Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (in dark blue/dark blue - including waistcoat/white), who had brought along his presumed coalition partners Andreas Babler (in dark blue/dark gray/white) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (in black/medium blue/white).

Those are the objective facts. What we were not allowed to find out on Saturday: What they plan to do together for the Republic. Or whether the state quartet admired the blue-wrapped crystal owl that Herbert Kickl once gave to the President as a symbol of wisdom? Hardly likely.

So what remains as wisdom: we have learned that the three possible coalition partners are "on the home straight", that they want to comply with the Federal President's demand for compromises.

And what did the President himself say? It was now also a matter of rehabilitating the mood in the country. Yes, how this dark quartet brings the sun back into the country - that will probably be the hardest piece of work for the new government.