Politics Talks on center government in Austria failed
A good three months after the FPÖ's election victory in Austria, talks about a centrist government without the right-wing populists have failed.
04.01.2025, 23:31
SDA
The conservative ÖVP has ended its talks with the social democratic SPÖ, announced Chancellor and ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer. At the same time, he announced that he would resign as head of government and party leader in the coming days. It was only on Friday that the liberal Neos party surprisingly pulled out of negotiations with the ÖVP and SPÖ on a traffic light coalition after weeks of wrangling. The two remaining parties then resumed talks on Saturday afternoon. By the evening, however, the negotiations had already come to an end.
Nehammer insists on his rejection of the Kickl-FPÖ
"It is obvious that the destructive forces in the SPÖ have gained the upper hand", said Nehammer in a video message. He emphasized that the ÖVP would not agree to any anti-economic and anti-performance programme.
At the same time, Nehammer made it clear that he was still not prepared to enter into coalition talks with the right-wing FPÖ under party leader Herbert Kickl. "It is my deep conviction that radicals do not offer a solution to any problem," said Nehammer. The Chancellor had rejected the FPÖ under Kickl's leadership due to its pro-Russia stance and lack of differentiation from far-right groups such as the Identitarians, among other things. The economic wing of his party, on the other hand, prefers a coalition with the FPÖ rather than the Social Democrats.
SPÖ leader now fears "far-right" Chancellor Kickl
In a statement, SPÖ leader Andreas Babler blamed these forces among the conservatives for the failure of a possible grand coalition. "The wing that flirted with the blue party from the outset has prevailed," he said, referring to the party color of the FPÖ. Now there is a threat of "an extreme right-wing chancellor", said Babler. Who will succeed Nehammer was as unclear for the time being as the question of whether the ÖVP will now negotiate with the FPÖ as a possible junior partner or whether new elections will be called.
Rumors about Sebastian Kurz's comeback
Over the past few days, Austrian media, citing conservative circles, had brought former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz into play as a possible new ÖVP leader. Kurz governed as chancellor with the FPÖ from 2017 to 2019 and then with the Greens. He retired from politics in 2021 due to corruption investigations against him. The investigations into the allegations, which Kurz denies, are still ongoing. Kurz has not yet commented on the rumors about a possible comeback. In addition to Kurz, the name of EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler is also being circulated for Nehammer's successor.
Pollsters see FPÖ still on the rise
The ball is now in the court of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, said FPÖ leader Kickl with a view to a possible government mandate, which he had previously been denied. "After the events of today, he is under pressure to act," said Kickl. The FPÖ won the election at the end of September. The three centrist parties then tried to forge a coalition and keep the right-wing parties out of power. Van der Bellen would also have preferred such a government. Should there be new elections, the right-wing populist FPÖ could hope for a resounding victory. The latest polls signaled another large increase in votes compared to the National Council elections. The FPÖ could then significantly increase its result from 29% to around 35%.
