Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer resigns after coalition talks fail, leaving the far-right FPÖ poised for power as political uncertainty grips the nation.
Austria's ruling conservatives picked Secretary-General Christian Stocker as interim successor to Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Austrian media reported on Sunday, after Nehammer quit as his attempts to form a coalition government without the far right fell apart.
There was no immediate comment from the People's Party (OVP), and Nehammer only told reporters after the party's crisis leadership meeting on Sunday that "important and correct decisions" had been taken.
The surprise collapse of three- and then two-party talks aimed at cobbling together a centrist coalition that could serve as a bulwark against the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) after the FPO came first in September's parliamentary election leaves President Alexander Van der Bellen with few options.
A snap election with support for the eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO still growing or an about-face in which Van der Bellen tasks FPO leader Herbert Kickl with forming a government are now the most likely options, with only limited scope for alternatives or playing for time.
"It is not an easy situation," Markus Wallner, the governor of Vorarlberg, the westernmost of Austria's nine provinces, told reporters before the OVP leadership meeting at the chancellor's office on Sunday morning.
"I believe we must do everything we can now to avoid sliding towards a national crisis."
Wallner said he opposed a snap election since that would delay the arrival of a new government by months. OVP governors are part of the leadership.
A spokesperson for Van der Bellen said he was due to address the nation at 2:45 p.m. (1345 GMT). Nehammer crossed the road separating their offices earlier to report to Van der Bellen on the OVP leadership meeting.
Nehammer insisted during and after the election campaign that his party would not govern with Kickl because he was too much of a conspiracy theorist and posed a security risk while at the same time saying much of Kickl's party was trustworthy.
Nehammer's successor will most likely be more open to a coalition with the FPO, which is formally allied with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party.
GROWING SUPPORT FOR FPO
The FPO won September's election with around 29% of the vote, and opinion polls suggest its support has only grown since then, extending its lead over the OVP and Social Democrats to more than 10 percentage points while their support has shrunk.
The OVP and FPO overlap on various issues, particularly taking a tough line on immigration, to the point that the FPO has accused the OVP of stealing its ideas.
The two governed together from late 2017 until 2019, when a video-sting scandal involving the then-leader of the FPO prompted their coalition's collapse. At the state level, they govern together in five of nine states, including in OVP moderate Wallner's Vorarlberg.
The national dynamic is now different because if they were to form an alliance the OVP would for the first time be junior partner to the FPO, making the position of OVP leader difficult and undesirable to many.
After initial media reports that household names like former party leader Sebastian Kurz, who led the last coalition with the FPO and has since been convicted of perjury, could become OVP leader, Austrian media reported overnight that they were no longer in the running.
That left lesser-known figures such as new Chamber of Commerce Secretary-General Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, 45.
Meanwhile, the FPO hammered home its message.
"Austria needs a Chancellor Kickl now," it said on X.
Iran has slammed an Austrian intelligence report accusing it of pursuing a military nuclear program, calling the claims baseless and demanding an official explanation from Vienna.
Austria is basking in the glow of a triumphant Eurovision Song Contest victory, but celebrations have quickly turned to practical concerns over where to host next year’s event and how to pay for it, officials said Sunday.
Austria has won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest. JJ claimed the trophy with his emotional pop-opera ballad Wasted Love, scoring 426 points in the grand final held in Basel, Switzerland.
Austria has shut down nearly two dozen border crossings with Hungary and Slovakia in a bid to contain the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, as authorities intensify checks and prepare for potential cases within the country.
The new Austrian Government has discontinued the reunification of family members for asylum claimants in the country with immediate effect citing widespread concerns on immigration.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) announced Saturday a significant boost to its commitment to ocean health, pledging an additional $2.5 billion in investments aimed at protecting marine ecosystems and fostering sustainable blue economic activities.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei met Pope Leo at the Vatican, confirming the pontiff’s upcoming visit to Argentina.
Negotiations between China and the European Union regarding electric vehicle price commitments are in their final stages, although both sides acknowledge that further efforts are required to reach a resolution.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak this week to discuss recent trade tensions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended abruptly in Istanbul on Monday, lasting just over an hour amid mounting tensions following a major Ukrainian drone strike on Russian strategic bombers and renewed pressure from the U.S. for a breakthrough.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei met Pope Leo at the Vatican, confirming the pontiff’s upcoming visit to Argentina.
Negotiations between China and the European Union regarding electric vehicle price commitments are in their final stages, although both sides acknowledge that further efforts are required to reach a resolution.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar held a phone call to discuss strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the UK from June 8–13 for the first round of China-U.S. economic and trade consultations. Talks will include U.S. Treasury and Commerce Secretaries and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that there could be “serious consequences” if Elon Musk provides financial support to Democratic candidates challenging Republicans who back Trump’s tax-cut bill, signalling a sharp turn in their previously cordial relationship.
The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) announced Saturday a significant boost to its commitment to ocean health, pledging an additional $2.5 billion in investments aimed at protecting marine ecosystems and fostering sustainable blue economic activities.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei met Pope Leo at the Vatican, confirming the pontiff’s upcoming visit to Argentina.
Negotiations between China and the European Union regarding electric vehicle price commitments are in their final stages, although both sides acknowledge that further efforts are required to reach a resolution.
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