Austria's conservative leader, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, called on President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday to officially assign the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) the task of forming a coalition government following their victory in Sunday's parliamentary election. The FPO, which has friendly ties with Russia and a strong anti-immigration stance, achieved a historic win, marking the first time the party, founded in the 1950s with its first leader being a high-ranking SS officer and Nazi lawmaker, has secured such a significant victory. With approximately 29% of the vote, the FPO would require a coalition partner to secure a majority in parliament and effectively govern. However, other parties have expressed disinterest in joining such a coalition.
Nehammer, whose OVP party came in second place in the election, trailing the FPO by about 2.5 percentage points, stated that it is a good tradition for the election winner to engage in exploratory talks with other parties. The OVP, if allied with the third-placed Social Democrats, would only have a one-seat majority, which is widely considered too slim to be viable. Consequently, a three-party alliance involving a smaller party like the liberal Neos appears to be a more feasible option.
President Van der Bellen, a former Green Party leader and critic of the FPO, who is responsible for overseeing government formation, announced on Sunday that he would meet with the parties in parliament and encouraged them to engage in dialogue, leaving the next steps open. Nehammer emphasized that it is now the president's decision to outline the subsequent steps in the process.
