Austrian coalition talks collapse, chancellor to step down

5/1/2025 7:32

Talks between the two biggest centrist parties in Austria on forming a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) have collapsed, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Saturday, adding that he would step down in the coming days.



The announcement came a day after a third party, the small, liberal Neos, threw the process into disarray by saying it was quitting the talks, blaming the other parties for failing to take the bold and decisive action it said it had called for.



"I will stand down as chancellor and as leader of the (conservative) People's Party in the coming days and enable an orderly transition," Nehammer said in a video statement on X, after coalition talks with the Social Democrats (SPO) continued without the Neos on Saturday.



The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO won the last parliamentary election in September with 29% of the vote. It would have needed a coalition partner to govern and, since Nehammer ruled out governing with FPO leader Herbert Kickl, no potential partner was immediately available.