VIENNA: Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) has urged President Alexander Van der Bellen to intervene in the growing crisis surrounding the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), warning that the dispute is beginning to weaken the government’s ability to act.
FPÖ Secretary-General Michael Schnedlitz said nearly 100 government projects were now stuck in the coalition’s coordination process. He said the growing backlog showed that the republic was no longer able to function effectively and called on the president to respond, according to Austrian Press Agency.
According to Schnedlitz, the three-party coalition had “effectively failed.” He argued that forcing parties with sharply different political views into one government had made meaningful and practical work for the public increasingly difficult.
“The president is now called upon to cut through this Gordian knot in the interests of Austrians and clear the way for stable majorities,” Schnedlitz said. He called on Van der Bellen to fulfil his responsibility and protect the country from further political damage.
The FPÖ’s criticism came as uncertainty inside the SPÖ continued to raise questions about the future of the coalition. The dispute has also fuelled concerns that important government decisions could remain delayed while Austria faces pressure to revive its economy.
Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria and a senior member of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), said she had not lost hope that the government could continue its work.
“Whether there are one or five party leaders is not important to me,” Mikl-Leitner said. Her main concern, she added, was that every effort should be made to restart the country’s economic engine.
“The SPÖ leadership must prove that it is capable of acting and working,” she said. “There must be no standstill.”
