Failed Coalition Negotiations in Austria

After the Freedom Party’s (fpö) victory in Austria’s national elections on Sept. 29, 2024, the mainstream parties sought to form the nation’s first three-party coalition to keep the far right out of power. But this coalition between Austria’s People’s Party (övp), the Social Democrats (spö) and the Neos has failed, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Neos’s party leader, announced this morning.

No unity in crisis: Meinl-Reisinger spoke of “challenging times” in an unstable world, referring to the world’s trouble spots: Ukraine, the Middle East, the United States and the political challenges at home. These challenges have made negotiations difficult and the ideals of each party hard to achieve in a coalition.

What next: While the fpö was the winner of the election, it wasn’t granted the right to form a coalition because all other parties ruled out governing with it. While the övp was previously in a coalition with the fpö, current Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has ruled out another such coalition.

The övp and spö have a majority of one seat in the National Council, but due to fears of a weak government, they hope to find a third partner. The two parties could now start new negotiations with the Greens—or call for new elections.

Watch Kurz: It has been speculated that failed negotiations could trigger the return of former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who previously ruled in a coalition with the fpö.

Europe in crisis: After Germany’s coalition broke on Nov. 6, 2024, and France’s government failed to agree on a budget, Europe is in an unprecedented leadership crisis. The Trumpet has long warned that such a crisis will lead to the rise of an overarching leader in Europe who will rule with unprecedented power.

To learn more, read “After Trump’s Victory, Watch Germany.”