Talks to form a coalition dragged on after Austria’s major parties refused to work with Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) for the first time, with 29.2 percent of the vote in the September elections.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that he will resign in the coming days after failing for the second time. Talks to form a new government. The announcement came after the Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, abbreviated ÖVP) and the Social Democrats (SPÖ) resumed coalition talks a day after the liberal Neos party unexpectedly withdrew from the talks.
Neos has been trying to form a new party for some time, together with Chancellor Nehammer’s conservative Austrian People’s Party and the center-left Social Democrats. three party governing coalition after right wing Freedom Party of Austria (German: Freedom Party of Austria, FPÖ) will win national elections In September.
“Unfortunately, today I have to inform you that negotiations have ended for the People’s Party and will not continue,” Nehammer wrote in his post about X. he said. “We’ve tried everything up to this point. No agreement on important points possible“There is therefore no point in creating a positive future for Austria,” he said.
Nehammer said: “destructive forces” of social democrats that he had “won the game” and that the People’s Party would not subscribe to a program that violated the contract. economic competitiveness or to promote new taxes.
Reactions to Nehammer’s statement
HE Andreas Babler, leader of the social democratic partyHe expressed regret at the People’s Party’s decision to end the negotiations. “This is not a good decision for our country,” Balber said, adding that one of the main obstacles is about how to repair the “record deficit” left by the previous government. “I offered Karl Nehammer and the People’s Party to continue negotiations and asked them not to give up,” the Social Democrat told reporters.
Neos leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger said progress was impossible and no “fundamental reforms” had been agreed upon. He also informed the leaders of other parties. Neo’s Talks “will not continue”
The talks extended with the participation of other parties Austria will refuse to work with the leader of the Freedom Party (FPÖ)Herbert Kickl remained First in September elections He won 29.2% of the vote, forcing the ÖVP and SPÖ to form a smaller party to strengthen their majority.
In a statement, Kickl He complained that the three main party leaders had wasted months on an “anti-Kickl strategy”. “Instead of the speed of government formation, we now have three lost months. Instead of stability, there is chaos,” he said.
Future challenges for the next Austrian Government
They will most likely be called new electionssomething like that right-wing FPÖ was immediately welcomed, as opinion polls show your support has increased since the elections. FPÖ, in the survey conducted by ‘Der Standard’ newspaper, Increased its support to 35 percent of the votes Based on likely voters in December.
But whoever heads Austria’s next government will face the following situation: challenge from having to Save between 18,000 and 24,000 million eurosAccording to the European Commission. Moreover, Austria has been in recession for two yearsFacing rising unemployment, the country’s budget deficit currently stands at 3.7% of GDP, above the 3% limit set by the EU.
