The centre-right ÖVP will govern with the far-right FPÖ in Salzburg in what many observers view as a surprise move that could give a foretaste of the legislative elections next year.
Observers were surprised when Salzburg saw Wilfried Haslauer, the governor of Salzburg since 2013, form an alliance with the far-right following the elections on 23 April.
“The road to this coalition was not entirely easy,” he said on Friday after his party agreed to form a coalition with the FPÖ.
“Since the SPÖ is currently not stable enough nationally and also in Salzburg, we decided to form a coalition with the FPÖ for reasons of stability and continuity,” he added, noting that his big infrastructure investment plans saw him seek far-right backing.
Because of the alliance, FPÖ’s Marlene Svazek will be the second in command and will take over the environmental protection, education and integration files.
“On 23 April, a quarter of Salzburgers voted for FPÖ. On 24 April, I became aware of this resulting responsibility towards the state,” the 31-year-old far-right politician explained alongside Haslauer.
Ahead of next year’s legislative elections in autumn, Austria now has key states governed by coalitions led by ÖVP and FPÖ – the two parties currently leading the polls.
(Nikolaus J. Kurmayer | EURACTIV.de)
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