VIENNA (AP) – Talks to form a new three-party government in Austria collapsed Friday after the smallest of the potential coalition partners broke off negotiations.
Talks have dragged on since Austria's president tasked conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer with forming a new government in October. The decision came after all other political parties refused to work with the leader of the far-right Liberal Party, who won his first national election victory in September.
Nehamel is trying to form a coalition between the Austrian People's Party, the center-left Social Democratic Party and the liberal Neos party.
The Nehammer party and the Social Democratic Party, which have ruled Austria together in the past, have a narrow majority in the parliament to be elected in September, with a combined 92 of the 183 seats. It was widely considered too little of a cushion, and both parties tried to bring Neos on board.
However, Neos leader Beate Meinrreisinger told Nehammer, Social Democratic Party leader Andreas Babler and President Alexander van der Bellen early on Friday that her party would “continue” talks to become a partner in the new government. “I won't do it,” he said.
He said the “budget hole” left by the previous government was causing major difficulties, and while the election showed an appetite for change, negotiations in recent days have shown more setbacks than progress. He added that it looks like there are.
“This week we have been repeatedly told no to fundamental reforms,” Meinlreisinger told reporters in Vienna.
Christian Stocker, general secretary of the Austrian People's Party, blamed “negative forces” within the Social Democratic Party for prompting the talks to break down.
It was not immediately clear how the situation could be resolved. The two major parties could potentially try to form a government on their own, or look to the environmentalist Green Party as a third partner.
Nehammer's breakaway two-party coalition with the Green Party has often been tense, and although it remains in power as a caretaker government, it lost its parliamentary majority in elections.
The Liberal Party, whose support in opinion polls has increased since the election, called for Nehammer's resignation.
The party's general secretary, Michael Schnedlitz, accused the chancellor of refusing to accept the election defeat and called for a three-way coalition based on the “German model” (a term referring to neighboring Germany's quarrelsome government, which collapsed in November). He said he had warned him for some time. Germany will hold early elections next month.
