Austrian Chancellor Resigns After Coalition Talks Collapse

Talks between Austria's two main centrist parties to form a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed, leading conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer to announce his resignation. Francois Murphy reported this for Reuters.

“I will step down as chancellor and as leader of the People’s Party in the coming days to ensure an orderly transition,” Nehammer said. I Photo: Karl Nehammer Facebook

A day earlier, the liberal Neos party withdrew from the negotiations, accusing the other parties of failing to take the bold and decisive actions it had advocated.

“I will step down as chancellor and as leader of the People’s Party in the coming days to ensure an orderly transition,” Nehammer said in a video statement posted on X, following discussions with the Social Democrats (SPO).

The breakdown of coalition talks, three months after the parliamentary election in September, highlights the increasing difficulty of forming stable governments in European countries where the far right is gaining ground, but many mainstream parties remain reluctant to collaborate with them.

The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO emerged victorious in the election with roughly 29% of the vote.

However, without a coalition partner, it cannot form a government. Nehammer ruled out working with FPO leader Herbert Kickl, leaving the FPO without a viable path to governance.