Austria coalition talks stall as FPÖ and ÖVP leaders meet with president

euronews (in English)

Coalition talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP, which received a mandate to attempt to form a government last month, have gound to a halt. The two parties' leaders are set to meet with President Alexander van der Bellen.

Transcript

00:00Leaders of Austria's far-right FPÖ and conservative ÖVP met with President Alexander Van der

00:07Bellen on Tuesday after coalition talks seemed to stall.

00:12Critical voices from the ÖVP raised increasing doubts throughout the day about a successful

00:16conclusion of the talks.

00:18FPÖ's Herbert Kickl and ÖVP's Christian Stocker met at separate times with the president

00:24at his office in Vienna's Hofburg.

00:27Ahead of Tuesday's talks, Kickl still seemed positive.

00:30I was optimistic last week, I am optimistic this week.

00:34Look, it's about very, very important things for Austria.

00:37We know that the economy is in a very, very difficult situation.

00:40This concerns the employers, this concerns the employers.

00:43Unemployment is rising.

00:44We face great challenges in connection with energy prices, with expenses.

00:49And of course we also need a turnaround, a turnaround in the entire asylum and migration

00:54policy.

00:55Points of conflict include the suspension of the right of asylum demanded by the FPÖ

01:00as well as Kickl's critical stance towards the European Union.

01:04Earlier, other parties that gained seats in the parliamentary election told the ÖVP it

01:09should end coalition talks with the FPÖ.

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