Austria: FM Schallenberg to Become Interim Chancellor
Austrian FM Alexander Schallenberg. X/ @TRTWorldNow
January 8, 2025 Hour: 10:20 am
This happens after the collapse of coalition negotiations that excluded members of the far-right Freedom Party.
On Friday, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will become interim head of government following the resignation of conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer. These developments come after the collapse of coalition negotiations that excluded members of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).
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On Wednesday, the presidency announced the leadership change in the executive branch, which will remain in place until a stable government coalition is formed after the September 29 elections, where the FPÖ won 28.8% of the vote.
Schallenberg will take office as the most experienced member of the current government following Nehammer’s resignation. Nehammer had vowed that under his leadership, the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) would not allow the FPÖ to lead the chancellery.
The 55-year-old foreign minister is a veteran of Austrian diplomacy and is assuming the role of head of government for the second time, having briefly held the position in 2021 after the resignation of another conservative chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.
Schallenberg has made it clear that he will not participate in a government led by far-right Euroskeptic Herbert Kickl, whom Nehammer repeatedly described as “a security risk for Austria.”
Kickl, who has been tasked with forming a government, has urged the ÖVP’s new leadership to begin coalition negotiations as soon as possible. He warned that he is not afraid of new elections, as recent polls show his party commanding up to 37% of the vote.
The two traditional parties, the ÖVP, which secured 26.2% in the elections, and the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), which garnered 21.1%, failed to form a coalition after the liberal Neos withdrew from the talks. Both the ÖVP and the SPÖ are experiencing internal challenges, and polls currently project each party at around 20% to 21% voter support.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE