Austria's Combative Far-right Kickl Within Reach Of Power

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published January 13, 2025 | 11:52 PM

If he comes to power, sharp-tongued, far-right leader Herbert Kickl will be contemporary Austria's most controversial chancellor

Vienna, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2025) If he comes to power, sharp-tongued, far-right leader Herbert Kickl will be contemporary Austria's most controversial chancellor.

His Freedom Party (FPOe), which topped national polls for the first time ever in September, last week began negotiations with the conservatives to form a government.

Although the FPOe has already been in power several times, it would be the first time they would lead the government -- with the radical Kickl, who took over the scandal-tainted party in 2021 and revitalised it, as chancellor.

Kickl has called the talks a "litmus test", urging the conservatives -- who until earlier this month had been trying to form a government without the FPOe -- to avoid "games" and "tricks".

The FPOe currently stand at more than 37 percent in opinion polls, up from the almost 29 percent they got in September and well ahead of all other parties, including the incumbent runner-up conservatives.

The FPOe and the conservatives said on Monday they had already agreed on how to tackle the country's high budget deficit at talks held over the weekend.

The negotiations took place behind closed doors, at an undisclosed location.