Nehammer puts office: Who will lead the ÖVP into the future?

Nehammer puts office: Who will lead the ÖVP into the future?

The political situation in Austria is tense, while Chancellor Karl Nehammer from the ÖVP announced his resignation as head of government and party leader on Sunday. This happened after the failure of the government negotiations based on the elections in September. Nehammer announced that he officially returned the order for government formation, which he received from Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. According to media reports, the current ÖVP general secretary Christian Stocker should take over the business of Nehammer and until the upcoming party congress, which could only take place in a few months, to bring the party to stability, as the Krone reported.

After the resignation of Nehammer, who had previously tried to form a centrist coalition, new elections could be imminent. The talks had concentrated on the ÖVP and the SPÖ because the NEOS had broken negotiations. Nehammer said that no agreement on basic topics could be reached and announced that he would be handed over to the official business. These developments could pave the way for a possible cooperation between the ÖVP with the Freedom Party (FPÖ), which has received the most votes in the elections. Herbert Kickl, the FPÖ chairman, may be able to use this political crisis the most benefit, because the conservative party must now make important decisions that show whether it is ready to understand the will of the voters, as Luxemburger Zeiten.