Austrian lawmakers vote to lift far-right's immunity

12/12/2024 6:12

Austria's lower house voted

on Wednesday in favour of lifting the parliamentary immunity of

the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Herbert Kickl,

to let prosecutors investigate an allegation of perjury as

prosecutors requested.



The move paves the way for the Central Prosecutors' Office

for Economic Crimes and Corruption (WKStA) to open an

investigation relating to a complaint filed in July by a

then-lawmaker from the conservative People's Party (OVP) about

Kickl's testimony to a parliamentary committee in April.



The complaint alleged that Kickl lied about various issues

including advertisements in print media paid for by the

eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO. The FPO has said Kickl told

the truth. Kickl has not commented.



"No one is above the rules," OVP lawmaker Christoph Zarits,

who filed the motion to lift Kickl's immunity, told the chamber

before the vote. "The same rules apply to Herbert Kickl as any

other citizen."



The lower house's immunity committee met earlier on

Wednesday and recommended that the chamber find that there was

no reason not to lift Kickl's immunity. All parties voted in

favour, except the FPO.



OVP Chancellor Karl Nehammer is leading coalition talks with

the Social Democrats and liberal Neos aimed at forming Austria's

first three-party government since 1949.



Those parties came second, third and fourth in Austria's

parliamentary election in September, which the FPO won.



Having secured around 29% of the vote, the FPO would have

needed a coalition partner to secure a majority in parliament

and govern.



President Alexander Van der Bellen, who oversees the

formation of governments, found that no party was willing to

govern with the FPO and therefore tasked Nehammer with forming a

government instead.