“The year 2025 started like previous years in Austria” : “ [par] a new drama”exclaims the German weekly The time.
Conservative Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer caused a surprise on Saturday January 4 by announcing that he was going to leave his functions as chancellor and president of his party, “in the coming days”after the failure of negotiations with the Social Democrats to try to form the next government.
Since the legislative elections of September 29, which saw the far right come out on top, the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP, conservatives) has participated in tripartite discussions with the center-left SPÖ and the liberal Neos party, to block the extreme right.
“In 48 hours, everything changed in Vienna”explain the time. “First it was the liberal party Neos which surprised us by leaving the coalition negotiations on Friday morning. Less than 36 hours later, the two remaining groups also split up.
On Saturday, Karl Nehammer announced on “agreement with the SPÖ is impossible on key issues” and that “therefore”he put “end of negotiations with the SPÖ”. Among the main areas of contention cited by the Austrian media: wealth tax, inheritance taxes, pensions and differences on how to control the budget deficit.
“The ÖVP and SPÖ have ruined the country’s renovation project”
“Austria is going through a serious political crisis”, comments the journalist from the Austrian daily The standardPetra Stuiber. “The fact is that the ÖVP and the SPÖ have ruined the country’s renovation project. They have failed to give this country and its people a perspective for the future, to show how things can continue without major losses in prosperity and without social upheavals.
“Failure was inevitable”analysis on his side Delivery man in an editorial. “The pragmatists of both parties” “failed to assert themselves in the coalition negotiations”, notes the Austrian daily. As for thex “social partners”, “considered as a stabilizing factor”they do not have “They also failed to create a unifying axis at the negotiating table.”
The extreme right strengthened
For the European edition of the site Politico, “the failure of the talks […] will strengthen the Freedom Party (FPÖ), an anti-migrant and pro-Russia formation, which rose to first place in the national elections in September but which was unable to form a government, all the others major parties having refused to work with him”.
In a statement released on Saturday, far-right party leader Herbert Kickl called “losers” parties involved in coalition negotiations. “Instead of stability we have chaos” after three “wasted months”he denounced.
It is “the only one” Who “can truly rejoice in this political disaster”REMARK Delivery man. If the ÖVP conservatives decide to form a government with the far right, Kickl could then claim the post of chancellor.
Otherwise, new elections will have to take place. For The timea new ballot is a “possibility” even if “all parties, with the exception of the FPÖ, actually want to avoid a new electoral campaign, in particular the ÖVP, which remains down without a leader”. The far right is credited with 35% voting intention, according to the latest polls.
