Austrian Chancellor to resign in few days: Reason revealed
Karl Nehammer (photo: Getty Images)
Yesterday, the Austrian parliament failed to form a ruling coalition in negotiations that have been going on since November. In this regard, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will resign, as he announced on X.
“In the next few days, I will step down as Federal Chancellor and leader of the (Austrian - ed.) People's Party (ÖVP) and will facilitate an orderly transition. This orderly transition is particularly important to me because I have always been committed to stability in our country and the People's Party,” Nehammer said.
He noted that his party had held long and honest negotiations, but that it was impossible to reach an agreement with the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) on key issues. The politician emphasized that the ÖVP sticks to its promises, so it will not agree to measures aimed at privileges and business, as well as new taxes.
“That is why we have stopped negotiations with the SPÖ and will not continue them,” he summarized.
What preceded
In the September 29, 2024, parliamentary elections, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won 29.2% of the vote. It advocates for tighter migration policies and cuts in European aid to Ukraine.
The second place was taken by the ÖVP party of the current Austrian Chancellor Nehammer, and the third place was taken by the SPÖ. Both parties stated that they would not act in a coalition with the FPÖ, but would form their own, to which NEOS was also invited. Thus, politicians would have to form a majority in parliament to effectively oppose the FPÖ.
However, the leader of the latter NEOS, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said yesterday that the parties did not agree on key issues. In particular, on pension reform and tax policy. Therefore, NEOS withdrew from the negotiations, which led to the failure of the coalition.
In December, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that Vienna was ready to host future peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
