Austrian far-right leader meets president, seeking coalition mandate

6/1/2025 19:37

The leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) met President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday expecting to be tasked with forming a coalition government after a centrist bid to assemble one without the FPO collapsed over the weekend.



The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO, founded in the 1950s by a former senior officer in Hitler's elite paramilitary SS, came first in a parliamentary election for the first time in September with more than 29% of the vote. It has been in power before as a junior coalition partner but has never led a government.



"First the people and then the chancellor," FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a brief Facebook posting on Sunday evening, repeating a populist slogan from his campaign, adding that he would not comment before meeting Van der Bellen.



He arrived for his meeting at Van der Bellen's office as planned at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT). Van der Bellen was due to give a statement to the media less than an hour after the meeting ends.