Austrian Chancellor Announces Resignation Following Failed Coalition Negotiations
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Vienna, Jan 5 (NationPress) Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that he will resign in the upcoming days after the coalition discussions between his People's Party and the Social Democrats came to an end earlier today.
He will also relinquish his position as the leader of the People's Party.
On Saturday, Nehammer stated on X that his party has concluded negotiations with the Social Democratic Party regarding the formation of a new government due to fundamental disagreements, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.
This unexpected announcement followed the NEOS party's withdrawal from the coalition negotiations aimed at creating an unprecedented three-party government. After NEOS pulled out, both the People's Party and the Social Democrats confirmed late on Friday their intention to persist with their two-party coalition discussions.
Negotiations among the three parties have been ongoing since mid-November, prompted by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen's directive in October to the People's Party to lead the government formation.
In the September parliamentary election, the far-right Freedom Party secured first place with around 29 percent of the vote, followed by the People's Party at 26.3 percent and the Social Democratic Party at 21.1 percent. Although the Freedom Party achieved the parliamentary presidency, it has yet to identify coalition partners for government formation.
As reported by the Austrian news agency APA on Saturday, the route to establishing a new government remains uncertain. The agency speculated that the business faction of the People's Party may now explore a coalition with the Freedom Party following Nehammer's resignation, despite his previous statements dismissing the possibility of a partnership with the far-right party led by Herbert Kickl.
A snap election is also on the horizon, but analysts suggest that the Freedom Party would likely benefit the most if such an election were to take place. Recent polls indicate a growing public favor towards the party, positioning it as a potential winner amid the political stalemate.
