Austria before the crisis: coalition negotiations on the abyss!

Austria before the crisis: coalition negotiations on the abyss!

A political earthquake shakes Austria: The conversations about a triple coalition between the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos failed on Thursday after 96 days. Neos boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger criticized the lack of reforming the negotiating partners and said that "no relevant progress" was achieved. "The exchange as on a bazaar" led to the inevitable conclusion in the negotiations, which must now be considered failed, so recently the reporting of Today.at .

The Situation threatens to change the country's political landscape sustainably. In theory, ÖVP and SPÖ continue to have the opportunity to form a majority, but this is extremely fragile. A new cooperation with the Greens is also discussed, but could encounter resistance at the ÖVP, according to the experts. Political analyst Peter Filzmaier brings additional challenges into play: According to him, the FPÖ only exist two realistic coalitions of two, which, however, are considered delicate due to internal conflicts within the SPÖ. The lack of political tailwind for Chancellor Karl Nehammer is also discussed, and the consideration of an expert government by Federal President Van der Bellen is still in the room, as orf.at reported.

chaos in coalition formation

The confusion on the political stage is perfect: While Nehammer calls the “constructive forces of the middle”, the SPÖ and ÖVP seem to be removed from an agreement. In particular, the claims of the SPÖ for new taxes, such as inheritance tax, give the impression that the two parties do not act on the same wavelength. The ÖVP sees this an absolute no-go and makes it clear that negotiations are over without compromises. The Burgenland SPÖ club chairman Roland Fürst was critical of the current situation and emphasized that the previous decisions after the National Council election in 2024 would have been considered "wrong" and had contributed significantly to the process.

The uncertainty about the future of the Austrian government remains, and the possibility of new elections hovers in the room, while pressure on the political actors increases to find a sustainable solution.