Austrian Chancellor Karl Neuhammer announced on Saturday evening that he intends to resign from the position of head of government and chairman of the conservative OeVP. This is the result of the failure of negotiations on the formation of a government coalition. Yesterday, the Chancellor’s party tried to negotiate a coalition with the Social Democrats.
– In the coming days, I will resign from the post of chancellor and leader of the Austrian People’s Party and allow a peaceful transition, said Karl Nehammer in a video statement published on the X platform, after negotiations with the Social Democrats.
Since the liberal NEOS party abandoned the tripartite coalition talks with the OeVP and the social democratic SPOe on Friday, the OeVP and the SPOe tried to negotiate on Saturday to form a two-party government. However, they ended up failing, Nehammer said.
Carl Nehammer SINGER PHILIP/POPE
He does not want a coalition with the extreme right
– It is clear that the destructive forces have gained an advantage in SPOe, said the head of OeVP. He emphasized that his party does not agree to any program that is unfavorable for the economy and financial results. At the same time, Nehammer emphasized that he is not ready to negotiate a coalition with the right-wing FPO headed by Herbert Kikel. – I have a deep belief that the radicals will not propose a solution to any problem, – he said.
Despite the victory of the FPO in the September parliamentary elections, the Austrian president entrusted Nehammer with the mission of forming the government. He stressed that the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats definitely refused to join the government with Kikel as the Prime Minister. These groups accuse the FPO of extremism, close ties to Russia, limiting the role of women in public life, and using rhetoric that deepens social divisions.
The dpa agency notes that according to the latest results, if new elections are held in Austria, the FPO can win an even clearer victory than in September.
Main photo source: FILIP SINGER/PAP
