“In the coming days”, Karl Nehammer will step down as Chancellor of Austria and the presidency of his party. The politician announced this Saturday, January 4, after ending negotiations with the Social Democrats to try to form the next government.
« After the breakdown of coalition negotiations, I (…) will step down from both my role as Chancellor and Chairman of the People’s Party in the coming days and enable an orderly transition », posted conservative Karl Nehammer (Austrian People’s Party, ÖVP) on the social network Austria.
This unexpected decision could lead to early elections or force the conservatives to negotiate with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which has arrived in the lead in the legislative elections with 28.8% of the votes.
Failed three-way negotiations
The chancellor’s upcoming resignation comes the day after the decision of the liberal Neos party to withdraw from tripartite negotiations aimed at forming a centrist government, the aim of which was to remove the FPÖ from power. The latter, although leading the legislative elections, was unable to find allies to form a government.
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