Austria’s chancellor resigns after coalition talks fail

Austrian Chancellor Karl Neuhammer says he will step down in the coming days as both chancellor and party leader after talks to form a coalition government broke down.

The chancellor said his party – the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) – and the Social Democrats were unable to agree on key issues.

The liberal Neos, another party involved in the talks, also pulled out on Friday.

In September, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) won. an unprecedented victory in a general election in Austriabut other parties have ruled out forming a coalition with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl.

A breakdown in the talks could lead to talks between the conservatives and the far-right or to new elections, analysts say.

The pro-Russia FPÖ was previously in the ruling coalition. It probably welcomes new elections public opinion polls show his popularity has grown even more since September.

FPÖ said a statement on X that three months were lost for coalition negotiations and adds that “instead of stability, we have chaos.”

The party called on Social Democrat leader Andreas Babler to also resign and said President Alexander Van der Bellen bears “a significant share of the responsibility for the chaos that ensued and the time that was lost.”

The FPÖ won nearly 29% of the vote in September’s election, with the People’s Party second with 26.3% and the Social Democrats third with 21%.

A high turnout of 77.3% was reported as Austrian voters took part in an election dominated by the twin issues of migration and asylum, as well as a weak economy and the war in Ukraine.

The FPÖ’s Kikl promised to build a “fortress Austria” to restore the security and prosperity of Austrians.

The party wants firm rules on legal immigration, and it promotes the idea of ​​remigration, which involves sending asylum seekers to their countries of origin.

The FPÖ was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.

Two days before last year’s general election, some of its candidates were caught on video at a funeral where the SS song was played.

The party later denied that the song, which dates back to 1814, had anything to do with “National Socialist sentiments.”