Austria’s parliamentary leader receives Orban despite criticism
Published: Thursday, Oct 31st 2024, 13:20
Zurück zu Live Feed
Despite criticism from several parties, Austria's newly elected parliamentary speaker Walter Rosenkranz from the right-wing FPÖ party received Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban as his first guest.
Orban met with Rosenkranz and a larger FPÖ delegation led by party leader Herbert Kickl in the National Council. According to the parliament, the meeting lasted around half an hour. Afterwards, Orban and Kickl withdrew to a meeting organized by the party, it was said. Nothing was initially revealed about the content of the meeting.
The meeting met with fierce protest from the Greens, Social Democrats and liberal Neos. The FPÖ sees Orban as a role model, said Sigrid Maurer, parliamentary group leader of the Greens. "That must be an absolute warning signal for us." SPÖ leader Andreas Babler said: "The newly elected President of the National Council, Rosenkranz, lives up to his own description as a "party soldier" when he receives as his first guest the man who has turned our neighboring country into a corrupt elite government." The FPÖ described the reactions as "artificial excitement".
The right-wing populists won the most recent National Council elections. As it is customary for the parliamentary group with the most votes to appoint the President of Parliament, Rosenkranz was elected to the second-highest state office last week.
The reason for Orban's visit to Vienna is to take part in a discussion on geopolitical issues organized by the Swiss weekly newspaper "Weltwoche". Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is also due to take part in the event in the late afternoon. Orban and Schröder are both considered friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic