FPÖ to launch ORF referendum in September

Herbert Kickl, leader of the FPÖ, has announced that the party will launch a major referendum regarding the ORF, Austria's public broadcaster, in September. The initiative aims to demand ‘clean information’, an ‘Austrian program’, and the abolition of mandatory broadcasting fees.

Kickl stated that the move is intended to increase pressure on the government, expressing concerns that ruling parties might attempt to declare the ORF a ‘state necessity’ and embed its budget fees into the constitution this autumn. This follows a recent popular complaint filed by the FPÖ against the appointment of Clemens Pig as ORF Director-General by the media authority KommAustria.

The party intends to campaign heavily for the referendum, though Kickl did not set a specific target for the number of signatures required. The FPÖ described the move as a continuation of its ‘historical tradition in the fight against grievances in public broadcasting’.