Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen will not allow criminal prosecution by the prosecutor’s office in the investigation into insults against FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl. This was announced by the President’s Office on Tuesday. In his speech on the political Ash Wednesday in Ried, Kickl called the head of state “mummy” and “senile”.
The public prosecutor’s office in Ried then started an investigation. After an official of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Terrorism, who was present at the event, wrote a report, the prosecutor’s office sent a letter to the Federal President asking whether he would authorize criminal prosecution in the case , which is what the law prescribes in such a case.
This is how Van der Bellen justified his no to prosecution against Kickl
However, the Federal President will not grant permission for this, according to a written statement from the President’s Office. Van der Bellen motivated this by saying that the task of politics is “to serve the country and its citizens and to ensure security and prosperity”. And that works best “when politicians treat each other and the state institutions with respect” instead of insulting each other.
Here is the full statement from the President’s Office:
Kickl has long been at odds with VdB
Kickl has long been at odds with Van der Bellen. The most recent rulings of the Hofburg, according to which the FPÖ leader should not be sure, even if he wins the elections, that he will automatically be ordered to form a government, have not yet disappeared from the PVV. “This mummy in the Hofburg”, the FPÖ chairman literally raged on Ash Wednesday, this “political chameleon”.
‘Van der Bellen is the greatest threat to the state’
It was already known that Van der Bellen was “senile”, “but now he has forgotten that he is the president of a neutral country” and believes he is the head of state in a NATO country. Van der Bellen was “the greatest threat to democracy and the state”, who should be “removed from office”, the FPÖ boss grumbled.
“Radicalized”: Chancellor deals with Kickl
Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has recently sharply criticized Kickl. The FPÖ leader is “massively radicalized” and has opted for a “language that allows few nuances,” the chancellor said in the Puls24 interview.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
