Austrian president asks Nehammer to formi government despite FPÖ win

This article was originally published in German

Incumbent Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has been asked by the country’s president to form a new government, after the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) found itself with no coalition partners despite coming first in last month’s election.

Typically, the president asks the leader of the strongest party to form a government, in this case FPÖ which won with 29% of the vote.

The conservative People’s Party, led by Nehammer, has said it will not work with the FPÖ’s controversial leader, Hebert Kickl. Austria’s other three parties in the new parliament have also refused to work with the FPÖ at all.

“This means clearly and unambiguously — confirmed repeatedly, with a reflection period and with extra talks — that Herbert Kickl won’t find any coalition partner who will make him chancellor,” President Alexander Van der Bellen said.

Van der Bellen wrote that he had personally informed Nehammer of his decision on Tuesday and asked him to immediately enter into negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats, who came in third.

When combined with the Social Democrats, Nehammer’s party has the smallest possible majority in parliament, with only 92 seats out of 183.

Van der Bellen has suggested that a third partner may be needed in the coalition to make sure there is a “stable government”.

The liberal Neos party, which took 9.1% of the vote last month, are the likeliest option.

The FPÖ, which won the election for the first time in its history last month, successfully addressed voters’ anxieties about immigration and the cost of living.

Kickl, who has led the Eurosceptic, Moscow-friendly party since 2021, has touted policies including “remigration,” a vague strategy of returning people from Austria to their country of origin.

His victory in the election led thousands of protesters to take to the streets of Vienna, demanding that other political parties not work with the leader to block him from forming a government.