Austria's foreign minister steps in as caretaker leader

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has been named as the country's caretaker chancellor, filling the void left by the resignation of Karl Nehammer at the weekend.

It will be the second time Schallenberg has filled the role on a temporary basis, having also stepped in when Sebastian Kurz left office in 2021 because of corruption allegations.

Nehammer, from the liberal-conservative Austrian People's Party, or OVP, became chancellor in September, following elections where the far-right Freedom Party won the biggest vote share, but after which the OVP, liberal Neos, and center-left Social Democrats tried to forge a three-party coalition to freeze them out.

When Neos pulled out of talks, the two remaining parties continued trying to find a way to work together but ultimately failed, prompting Nehammer's decision to quit.

"Unfortunately, I have to tell you today that the negotiations have ended and will not be continued by the People's Party," Nehammer announced in a social media post, pointing the finger of blame at what he called "destructive forces" in the Social Democrats. "We have tried everything up to this point. An agreement on key points is not possible, so it makes no sense for a positive future for Austria."

A statement from the office of President Alexander Van der Bellen said Schallenberg, who will be sworn in on Friday, will be "entrusted" with the job in the interim.

The failure of the mainstream parties to find a way to work together increases the likelihood of Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl ending up in power, with the president having given him the green light to start negotiations, which he has already done by offering to talk to the OVP, despite previous bad blood between the parties.

"No little games, no tricks, no sabotage," Kickl added.

Schallenberg has previously made it clear he would not be part of any government that has Kickl in a leading role.

Kickl has called the time since the previous election "lost" and said he wants to get a move on starting a "massive political firefighting operation", and also warned other parties that if a way forward could not be found, there was the risk of another election needing to take place.

The Freedom Party leader has been likened to and is a friend of Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and the pair share hardline views on immigration.

In February 2023, on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kickl told the Austrian parliament of the "long history of provocations (of Russia) by the United States and (the NATO military alliance)", and his party has also spoken out against European sanctions against Russia, saying Russian gas "continues to make an important contribution" to energy security.