Austrian Chancellor announces intention to step down

Austrian Chancellor and head of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) Karl Nehammer said on January 4 that he will leave his posts after the failure of negotiations to form a ruling coalition following the results of parliamentary elections in September.

"Following the collapse of the negotiations, I will do the following: in the coming days I will step down as federal chancellor and head of the Austrian People's Party (ANP)," he said in a video message published on his X (former Twitter) page.

Nehammer said the talks were long, but the chancellor noted that it was "impossible to reach an agreement" with the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SDPA).

"The People's Party is sticking to its promises: we will not agree to measures hostile to productivity and the economy, nor to new taxes. Therefore, we are ending negotiations and will not continue them," he clarified.

Earlier, on September 29, 2024, the Austrian Freedom Party (APS), which opposes anti-Russian sanctions, took the first place in the elections to the Austrian parliament according to the results of processing all ballots. The party received 28.8% of the vote. The Austrian People's Party (APP) with 26.3% was in second place, and in third place- the Social Democratic Party of Austria, for which 21.1% of citizens who came to the polls voted.

On the same day, Karl Nehammer admitted the defeat of the party he led and said that he expects to remain the leader of the ANP and is not going to form a government with the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (APS) Herbert Kickl. Christian Hafenecker, secretary general of the APS, in turn recommended that Nehammer resign.