Austrian leader invites far-right to help form new government

Leader of the conservative Austrian People's Party and winner of the legislative elections, Sebastian Kurz on Tuesday invited the far-right ultra-nationalist Freedom Party (FPO) to negotiate to form a new government.

Kurz, who on October 20 received backing from President Alexander Van der Bellen to form a new government, said he trusted his invitation would be accepted by the FPO which is known for its xenophobic, nationalist and eurosceptic views, reports Efe news.

He said that in the past few days he had held constructive talks with FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache, in which he noticed they shared many views, though they also disagreed on several points.

Kurz, who at 31 could very soon become the youngest current head of government in Europe, insisted that any alliance would have pro-European Union values at its core, adding that with him at the helm, there could only be a pro-EU government.

In the October 15 elections, Kurz's party (OVP) won 31.5 per cent of the vote, followed by the Social Democrats, who were backed by 26.9 per cent of the electorate and the FPO, with 26 per cent of the vote.

The FPO, founded in 1955 by former Nazi Party officials, is one of Europe's most successful populist parties and governed with the OVP from 2000 to 2006.

That coalition led to many complaints within the European Union and temporary diplomatic sanctions on behalf of the 14 members states it had at the time.

--IANS

ksk/bg