Where is Van der Bellen?

Of course, Alexander Van der Bellen is still the Federal President. He also exercises his office: On Sunday, which is also National Day, he will welcome interested citizens to the Hofburg on the occasion of the traditional open house day. Last Tuesday, he received Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his colleague from Germany. 

The two affirmed their commitment to European cooperation both within and outside the EU. Especially since with the USA under Donald Trump, "an old friend" has been lost. 

If Austria is to fulfill its contribution to such a Europe, Van der Bellen must no longer hold back, as he has done since the formation of the somnambulistic government of Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP): It is too obvious that the path of Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) to power has only been interrupted, but not broken by them.

Primarily due to the weaknesses of ÖVP and SPÖ, the FPÖ, which he leads, is shown in surveys to have an average of over 35 percent - with a rising trend.  With such an election result, the People's Party would likely concede defeat and accept him as Chancellor. As such, he would aim, among other things, for a dismantling of the EU. In other words, the opposite of what the directly elected Federal President wants. 

What could Van der Bellen do? He could initially urge Stocker and the other government members behind the scenes and then possibly publicly to finally start talking to the people, talking, and talking again.

It sounds more trivial than it is: According to a recent Statistics Austria survey, 70 to 80 percent of Austrians feel that they are not being heard by politics and that their interests are not being represented. Similarly, many may not understand what Stocker and Co. are aiming for, let alone be convinced that they mean well for them.

A majority, moreover, may not be able to comprehend what is happening in terms of security and defense policy. Many cling to outdated notions of neutrality and long for an "island of the blessed." It is actually logical that Kickl is capitalizing on this; among other things, by specifically promising to provide such an island.

All the more remarkable is that Van der Bellen lets all this happen. Or does he, for example, use the opportunity presented by the National Day address to choose clear words? It would be fitting: The occasion for this day is the Neutrality Act of October 26, 1955. He could at least address this topic and open a critical discussion on neutrality – ideally with the question of how security can be ensured in light of the threat posed by Russia. 

That would be important. It would be a prerequisite for the government not to stumble over things like "Sky Shield" or the European mutual assistance obligation, which Austria has entered into through the EU treaty – but which is hardly known to anyone. 

Johannes Huber runs the blog dieSubstanz.at – Analyses and Backgrounds on Politics

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.