Leading People’s Party (ÖVP) representatives have refused to rule out forming a coalition with the Freedom Party (FPÖ) after the coming election – despite disputed statements by the right-wing party’s chairman.
FPÖ chief Heinz-Christian Strache allegedly compared the suffering of the Jewish community in Germany and Austria during World War Two (WWII) to what visitors of last Friday’s Viennese Corporations Ball had to go through. He was also quoted as describing members of his party as “the new Jews”.
Strache denied that he created direct comparisons between the Jews of the 1930s and 1940s and FPÖ supporters but underlined that he debated what occurred outside Hofburg Palace “under the influence of what I have been told by many people.”
The politician, who became chairman of the FPÖ in 2005, said many crying women told him they were beaten by protesters outside the venue of the event which is widely seen as a gathering of Europe’s right-wing extremist elite and far-right student fraternities. Five policemen, three guests of the ball and one protester were slightly injured in the altercations of that night.
Strache – a member of Viennese student fraternity Vandalia – said on Tuesday that late FPÖ chief Jörg Haider once spoke about “the new Jews”. Strache claimed he mentioned it during a private conversation at the ball. However, a journalist who made the statements public denied that Strache referred to Haider in the chat. It is unclear whether the reporter secretly listened to the discussion or participated in it after claiming to be a voter of the FPÖ.
Now Andreas Khol said Strache disqualified himself from becoming Austrian chancellor or vice chancellor one day. The ÖVP member and former parliament speaker also told Die Presse today (Thurs) that the Corporations Ball controversy did not rule out a possible future cooperation between Strache’s party and his faction.
ÖVP chief Michael Spindelegger appealed to Strache to apologise. However, both Spindelegger and his party’s general secretary, Hannes Rauch, also pointed out that coalitions were an essential aspect of democracies.
The SPÖ said Strache’s statements were “absurd” while the Greens announced he “disqualified himself as a politician a long time ago.” SPÖ Chancellor Werner Faymann said yesterday he felt confirmed in his strict no to a future partnership with the FPÖ. Faymann’s faction teamed up with the FPÖ for three years in the 1980s. At that time, liberal forces had the upper hand in the party which had got closer to the right-wing spectrum ever since.
Franz Vranitzky, who headed the SPÖ back then, called for early elections following Haider’s rise to power in 1986. The FPÖ was part of a government coalition for a second time between 2001 and 2005. Then-ÖVP chief Wolfgang Schüssel controversially endorsed the FPÖ after promising to withdraw to opposition if his party failed to come first or second. The ÖVP finished the ballot in third place.
The SPÖ, which garnered more support than any other faction, was forced into opposition for the first time in decades due to the agreement between its former government partner and the FPÖ. The decision of FPÖ and ÖVP to form a government isolated Austria for several months as media and political leaders across the globe reacted outraged and concerned due to the FPÖ’s failure to strictly disassociate itself from Austria’s Nazi past.
