Nehammer before the end? Is Sebastian Kurz coming back into politics?

Nehammer before the end? Is Sebastian Kurz coming back into politics?

The coalition talks between the ÖVP, the SPÖ and the Neos have finally failed. Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the leader of the Neos, announced that she was leaving the negotiations, which caused the collaboration between the three parties to collapse. The ÖVP is disillusioned and blames the SPÖ for the failed agreement, while the Social Democrats continue to push for a revenue model to restructure the budget. The talks were already marked by tensions that arose from different ideas about how to finance the budget and the planned pension reform meinkreis.at reported.

New elections are getting closer

The failed negotiations could now open up the possibility of new elections. The FPÖ, which received the most votes in the last National Council elections, could benefit from the unstable political situation, which is triggering reactions from the international press. As the NZZ noted, the right-wing FPÖ could particularly benefit from this situation. There is also speculation about a possible return of ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who could lead the ÖVP again. If a new government were to be formed, it could also consider a coalition with the FPÖ under his leadership, provided that Nehammer remains opposed to such a step, according to the assessment oe24.

A senior ÖVP politician suggested that Karl Nehammer might soon resign if talks fail. The internal discussions indicate that various candidates are being brought into play for a possible successor. If Sebastian Kurz were to be sent back into the race as candidate for chancellor, at least by parts of the ÖVP, this would dramatically change the political landscape in Austria and could break the currently deadlocked situation in the National Council.