Coalition negotiations between Austria’s two largest centrist parties fail | Austria

Talks between Austria’s two largest centrist parties on forming a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) have failed, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Saturday, adding that he would resign in the coming days.

The announcement comes a day after a third party, the small liberal Neos party, caused disarray by announcing it was leaving the negotiations, accusing other parties of failing to take the bold and decisive steps it demanded.

“I will step down as chancellor and leader of the (conservative) People’s Party in the coming days and allow for an orderly transition,” Nehammer said in a video statement on X, after coalition talks with the Social Democrats continued (SPO) without the consent of the party. Neos Saturday.

The FPO, eurosceptic and favorable to Russia, won the last legislative elections in September with 29% of the votes. A coalition partner would have been needed to govern and, as Nehammer had ruled out governing with FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, no potential partner was immediately available.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, former leader of the Greens, therefore tasked Nehammer with forming a government. Now that Nehammer is resigning, the two most likely options are either that Kickl is tasked with forming a government or that early elections are called.

Support for the FPÖ has only grown since the last elections. He holds a lead of more than 10 points over the People’s Party (OVP) and the SPO, according to opinion polls.

SPO leader Andreas Babler confirmed at a press conference that the negotiations had failed.

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“We know what threatens to happen now. An FPÖ-OVP government with a far-right chancellor would put our democracy at risk on many points,” Babler said.