AUSTRIA: FPÖ-ÖVP Talks To Continue After Leaders Call

The far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) have reportedly agreed to continue coalition talks after a call between their respective leaders Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker. With the ongoing gov't formation talks now the longest-running in Austria's post-war history, the prospect of a breakdown earlier this week raised the risk of a snap election. 

• Following a meeting between the two leaders on 4 Feb, talks were seen as being on the brink of collapse. The distribution of ministries between the two parties remains a major sticking point. The FPÖ is said to have presented the following division of ministries: FPÖ: Chancellery, Interior, Finance as well as the EU and media agendas, social affairs and integration, and health and sport. ÖVP: Vice Chancellor, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Economy, Infrastructure, National Defense, Education and Women, Family and Youth.
• Journalist Stephanie Liechtenstein reports Stocker emphasising the ÖVP wanting to protect Austrian sovereignty, its pro-EU stance, its liberal democracy and counter foreign influence. For the ÖVP this requires control of the Interior Ministry, responsible for Austria's intelligence agencies.
• Der Standard reports that the ÖVP claims it has submitted its own suggestion for the distribution of ministries to the FPÖ. "There is no official offer," said the FPÖ.
• It remains to be seen for how long President Alexander van der Bellen allows talks to drag on. Latest opinion polling shows the FPÖ with support in the mid-30%'s (compared to 28.8% in the 2024 election), while the ÖVP are around 18-20% from 26.3% in 2024.