Austrian far-right leader’s efforts to form new government collapse
The Freedom Party’s talks with the conservative Austrian People’s Party appeared increasingly troubled in recent days.
Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl said his talks on forming a coalition government with a conservative party have collapsed.
The country’s president gave Mr Kickl a mandate to try to form a new government on January 6 after efforts to put together a governing alliance without his Freedom Party failed.
But his talks with the conservative Austrian People’s Party appeared increasingly troubled in recent days, with constant talk of policy differences and a clash over who would get which ministries.
On Wednesday, Mr Kickl informed President Alexander Van der Bellen that he was giving up the mandate.
Mr Kickl’s anti-immigration and Eurosceptic party, which opposes sanctions against Russia, won Austria’s parliamentary election in September.
But in October, Mr Van der Bellen gave Mr Nehammer the first chance to form a new government after Mr Nehammer’s party said that it would not go into government with the Freedom Party under Mr Kickl and others refused to work with the Freedom Party at all.
Those negotiations collapsed in the first few days of the new year and Mr Nehammer resigned, making way for interim Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg.
Mr Kickl pointed the finger at the People’s Party for the collapse. In a letter to the President released by his party, he said that his prospective parties had insisted on sharing out the ministries in a new government before clearing up disputed policy points and they had been unable to reach an agreement.
“I do not take this step without regret,” he added.
But he said that there appeared to be no point in trying to negotiate with the centre-left Social Democrats, the only other party with which the Freedom Party could reach a parliamentary majority. It has refused to work with Mr Kickl’s party.
“Austria has no time to waste,” Mr Kickl said.
It was not immediately clear what will happen next – whether Austria will move on to a new election, whether other parties will make another effort to form an alternative coalition, or whether a non-partisan government of experts might be appointed for at least an interim period.
