In new Austrian cabinet, right-wing populist politicians will take on key positions. The right-wing populist FPOe receives six ministries, only one less than conservative ÖVP. Both parties each have a State secretary or a State secretary. The ÖVP, which in election as a list of Sebastian Kurz – New People's Party (ÖVP), received in October 31.5 percent of vote, FPOe came to 26 percent.
The Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Defence go to FPOe politicians who are considered to be outside law. The interior minister will be Herbert Kickl, who began his career as a speech writer for former party leader Jörg Haider. He has been known for campaign slogans such as "Daham instead of Islam", "Pummerin instead of Muezzin" or "West of Christian hand". In year 2009 he warned in election campaign of Israel's accession to EU, but it was never debated. Last year he took part in a congress of so-called defenders of Europe in Linz, who gared new right and right-wing thought leaders.
As newspaper Kurier reports, Kickl, at urging of Green President Alexander van der Bellen, receives ÖVP state Secretary Karoline Edtstadler as a "Watchman". Among or things, it should take care of fight against corruption and memorial, such as Mauthausen concentration camp memorial.
The Minister of State defense will be Mario Kunasek, a staff sergeant and FPOe politician. He is said to have contacts with Identitarian movement and or right-wing groups. In January 2016 he asked on his Facebook page a curfew for asylum seekers. Minister of infrastructure is FPOe politician Norbert Hofer, who lost federal presidential against Van der Barken in 2016.
The Vice-chancellor is – that was clear already on evening of day – Heinz-Christian Strache. The 48-year-old FPOe chief presents his former contacts in ultra-camp as a youth sin. Because of defensive exercises with later convicted right-wing extremists, an advertisement was refunded against him because of suspicion of Nazi re-operation. At a Neo event in Germany, he was arrested three decades ago.
Van der Bellen admonishes Europe-friendly courseForeign minister becomes Middle East expert and studied Arabistin Karin Kneissl, who is partyless but was nominated by FPOe. It is considered to be pro-European. However, it has also attracted attention with sharp EU criticism, sympathy for independence of Catalonia and controversial statements on subject of migration. At height of refugee crisis in 2015, she claimed that new arrivals were mostly economic refugees.
On Twitter, President van der Barken admonished a proeuropean orientation of new government. Both briefly and Strache would have assured him that Austria was a strong country in heart of Europe and that it would remain. Van der Barken wants to get to know all proposed ministers in person before planned swearing of beginning of week. Although he has right to reject individual ministers, he has already said that swearing-in does not stand in way. He used to be much more critical of government involvement of right-wing populists.
Pro-European orientation of future federal government is central. @sebastiankurz and @HCStracheFP have assured me that Austria is and will remain a strong country in heart of Europe and will play an active role in shaping EU in future. Vdb)
— A. van der Barken (@vanderbellen) December 16, 2017In addition to right-wing populists, political entrants fall into cabinet. Strache had announced 50 percent of women and two-thirds experts. For example, insurance manager Hartwig Löger is finance minister. The former head of insurance group Uniqa follows former finance minister Hans Jörg Schelling. All ÖVP ministers in current grand coalition lose ir positions – except for former foreign minister and nominee chancellor.
Date Of Update: 17 December 2017, 12:02
