Coalition talks between Austria’s two greatest centrist events collapse | Austria

Talks between the 2 greatest centrist events in Austria on forming a coalition authorities with out the far-right Freedom Get together (FPO) have collapsed, Chancellor Karl Nehammer mentioned on Saturday, including that he would step down within the coming days.

The announcement got here a day after a 3rd social gathering, the small, liberal Neos, threw the method into disarray by saying it was quitting the talks, blaming the opposite events for failing to take the daring and decisive motion it mentioned it had referred to as for.

“I’ll stand down as chancellor and as chief of the (conservative) Folks’s Get together within the coming days and allow an orderly transition,” Nehammer mentioned in a video assertion on X, after coalition talks with the Social Democrats (SPO) continued with out the Neos on Saturday.

The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO gained the final parliamentary election in September with 29% of the vote. It might have wanted a coalition associate to control and, since Nehammer dominated out governing with FPO chief Herbert Kickl, no potential associate was instantly out there.

Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen, a former chief of the Greens, subsequently tasked Nehammer with forming a authorities. Now that Nehammer is stepping down, the 2 most definitely choices are both that Kickl is tasked with forming a authorities or a snap election is known as.

Assist for the FPO has solely grown for the reason that final election. It holds a lead of greater than 10 factors over the Folks’s Get together (OVP) and the SPO, opinion polls present.

SPO chief Andreas Babler confirmed at a information convention that the talks had collapsed.

“We all know what threatens to occur now. An FPO-OVP authorities with a right-wing extremist chancellor that may endanger our democracy on many factors,” Babler mentioned.