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Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has announced his resignation following the collapse of months of efforts to form a centrist coalition that excluded the far right.
The country faces the possibility of new elections after failing to form a government without the pro-Russian, anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPÖ), which secured a historic first-place finish in a nationwide vote in September.
Nehammer, who also announced he would step down as leader of the moderate conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), had been tasked by the country’s president with seeking to form a coalition after all other parties in parliament ruled out working with the line leader. FPÖ’s tough Herbert. Kickl.
The 52-year-old, who has served as chancellor since 2021 when his predecessor Sebastian Kurz stepped down amid a corruption investigation, had sought to strike a deal with the Social Democrats and the small liberal Neos party.
But on Friday Neos abruptly pulled out of the talks and on Saturday Nehammer announced he was abandoning efforts to form a government.
“Unfortunately, I have to tell you today that the negotiations have ended and will not be continued by the People’s Party,” he said in a video statement on the X social media platform.
“I will leave as chancellor and as leader of the People’s Party in the coming days and I will enable an orderly transition.”
Nehammer said that “destructive forces” in the Social Democratic Party had “gained the upper hand” in the negotiations and that his party was unwilling to sign off on its proposed economic program.
Social Democrat leader Andreas Babler said he regretted the ÖVP’s decision to end the talks, adding that his party had been willing to compromise. “This is not a good decision for our country,” he said.
The failure of negotiations deepens Austria’s political uncertainty at a time when its economy risks contracting for a third straight year in 2025. The country is also facing the challenge of finding budget cuts of between 18 billion and 24 billion euros, according to the figures. from the EU Commission.
One possibility is new elections, but that could risk further strengthening the Freedom Party, with polls suggesting the far-right party has gained support since the vote in September, when it won 29 percent.
The ÖVP is also due to begin the search for a new leader, with officials expected to meet on Sunday to discuss the process.
Austrian political analysts were already speculating on Saturday that Kurz may seek to reclaim the leadership of the ÖVP, after the former chancellor’s biographer hinted in an article published in German newspaper Bild that those close to him were weighing the chances of a political comeback. .
While Nehammer had always ruled out working with far-right leader Kickl, who has pushed the Freedom Party further to the right since taking over in 2021, Babler warned of the danger that his successor as party leader conservative could be willing to make a deal with him.
“We know what threatens to happen now. An FPÖ-ÖVP government with an extreme right-wing chancellor will endanger our democracy at many points,” he said.
Additional reporting by Sam Jones
