Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer arrives for an Casual Assembly of Heads of State or Authorities of the European Union in Budapest, Hungary, on November 8, 2024. Agence France-Presse
VIENNA — Austria’s conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer mentioned Saturday he would step down within the “coming days” after breaking off coalition talks with the Social Democrats over disagreements on key points.
The shock transfer may result in snap polls being known as within the Alpine EU member nation — or the conservatives may negotiate with the far proper that received nationwide elections in September.
Nehammer introduced in a video message on X that he would step down “each as chancellor and occasion chairman of the Folks’s Social gathering (OeVP) within the coming days and allow an orderly transition”.
READ: Austria’s chancellor being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors
The event comes simply someday after Austria’s liberal occasion withdrew from three-party coalition talks to kind a centrist authorities.
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The purpose had been to sideline the far-right Freedom Social gathering (FPOe) that received September elections with 29 p.c however was unable to search out companions to kind a nationwide authorities within the Alpine EU member state.
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‘Bulwark in opposition to radicals’
Nehammer mentioned on Saturday that he had wished to be “the power of the political centre with a purpose to construct a bulwark in opposition to the radicals” who “solely reside by describing issues” somewhat than fixing them.
He “at all times stood for stability”, he added — even when that was “not horny in politics”.
READ: Austria swears in first feminine chancellor, pledges stability
FPOe chief Herbert Kickl in an announcement known as the events concerned within the coalition talks “losers”, saying that “as an alternative of stability, we have now chaos” after three “wasted months”.
The conservative Folks’s Social gathering got here second with 26 p.c, whereas the centre-left Social Democrats (SPOe) gained 21 p.c in September.
That led Nehammer to pursue talks with the SPOe and the liberal occasion NEOS, who obtained 9 p.c, to kind a authorities to close out the far proper, however these three-way talks collapsed on Friday.
The remaining two events had vowed to proceed their work, however after simply someday Nehammer introduced on X that “settlement with the SPOe is just not attainable on key points.
“We’re due to this fact ending negotiations with the SPOe,” he added.
Wealth and inheritance taxes, pensions in addition to totally different views on the best way to reign within the nation’s ballooning price range deficit have been cited as the primary sticking factors within the coalition talks.
‘Proper-wing extremist chancellor’
SPOe chief Andreas Babler mentioned these inside the conservative occasion that “have at all times flirted” with the far proper have “prevailed”, warning of a “FPOe-OeVP authorities with a right-wing extremist chancellor”.
On Friday, President Alexander Van der Bellen had known as on the OeVP and SPOe to kind a authorities “at once”.
Van der Bellen had initially tasked the conservatives with forming a steady authorities that respects the “foundations of our liberal democracy”.
Previously, he has voiced reservations concerning the FPOe’s Kickl.
If the OeVP decides to kind a authorities with the FPOe, the president “should be ready to swear in Kickl as chancellor”, or if the 2 events don’t enter talks or discover an settlement “there can be new elections”, analyst Peter Filzmaier advised AFP.
The most recent opinion polls at the moment put the FPOe at round 35 p.c.
The OeVP has been a part of authorities within the Alpine nation of 9 million since 1987.
It has ruled a number of instances with the FPOe as junior companions since 2000.
Whereas Nehammer previously mentioned he was open to talks with the FPOe, he has repeatedly dominated out working with Kickl.
A 3-party governing coalition would have been a primary since 1949 in Austria, which faces a flagging economic system.
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Nehammer had already warned that the coalition talks could be an uphill activity.