Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will assume the role of caretaker chancellor on Wednesday, succeeding Karl Nehammer, who resigned after the collapse of post-election coalition talks.
Schallenberg, who has been serving as the foreign minister since 2021 under Nehammer, briefly held the position of chancellor in 2021 following Sebastian Kurz’s resignation amid corruption allegations.
Schallenberg’s appointment comes as Austria’s conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP)-led government remains in power in a caretaker capacity until a new coalition can be established. The right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), led by Herbert Kickl, won the largest share of votes in recent parliamentary elections, securing 28.8% of the vote and surpassing Nehammer’s ÖVP, which came in second.
Despite the FPÖ’s victory, the ÖVP refused to enter a coalition with Kickl’s party, leading to a political deadlock. Attempts to form a coalition without the FPÖ failed by early January, prompting Nehammer to announce his resignation last Saturday. Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen has since authorized Kickl to attempt to form a ruling coalition.
In an effort to break the impasse, Kickl has invited the ÖVP to participate in coalition talks, signaling a potential shift in the political landscape despite the past tensions between the two parties.
