Austrian conservatives choose a temporary leader after the chancellor resigns

Chancellor Karl Nehammer resigned after his attempts to establish a coalition government without the far right failed, and Austrian media reported on Sunday that the ruling conservatives in Austria had chosen Secretary-General Christian Stocker as his temporary replacement.

The People’s Party (OVP) did not immediately respond, and Nehammer simply informed reporters that “important and correct decisions” had been made following the party’s crisis leadership meeting on Sunday.

President Alexander Van der Bellen has limited alternatives after the unexpected breakdown of three- and then two-party negotiations to form a moderate coalition that may act as a safeguard against the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which emerged first in the September legislative election.

With little room for alternatives or time to spare, the most likely outcomes are either a hasty election with support for the Russia-friendly, Euroskeptic FPO still growing or a reversal of course in which Van der Bellen assigns FPO head Herbert Kickl the duty of establishing a government.

“It is not an easy situation,” Markus Wallner, the governor of Vorarlberg, the westernmost of Austria’s nine provinces, told reporters prior to Sunday morning’s OVP leadership meeting at the chancellor’s office.

“I believe we must do everything we can now to avoid sliding towards a national crisis.”

Wallner stated that he was against holding a snap election because it would cause a new administration to take months to form. The leadership includes OVP governors.

Van der Bellen was scheduled to speak to the country at 2:45 p.m. (1345 GMT), according to a representative for the politician. Earlier, Nehammer went across the street between their offices to inform Van der Bellen of the OVP leadership meeting.

While claiming that many aspects of Kickl’s party were reliable, Nehammer stated during and after the election campaign that his party would not govern with Kickl because he was too much of a conspiracy theorist and a security risk.

The FPO, which is officially affiliated with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, is expected to be more amenable to a cooperation with Nehammer’s successor.

Increasing FPO Support

Opinion polls indicate that the FPO’s support has only increased since winning the election in September with about 29% of the vote. Its margin over the OVP and Social Democrats has increased by about 10 percentage points, while their support has decreased.

The FPO has accused the OVP of stealing its ideas because the two parties share similar views on a number of subjects, most notably the OVP’s severe stance on immigration.

The two ruled together from late 2017 until 2019, when their coalition fell apart due to a video-sting controversy involving the FPO’s then-leader. In five out of nine states, including Wallner’s moderate Vorarlberg, they share state-level governance.

The national dynamic has changed since, in the event of an alliance, the OVP would be the FPO’s junior partner for the first time, making the role of OVP leader challenging and unpopular with many.

Overnight, Austrian media reported that well-known figures, such as Sebastian Kurz, the former leader of the party and leader of the last coalition with the FPO before being found guilty of perjury, were no longer in the running for the position of OVP leader, despite earlier media reports to the contrary.

Lesser-known individuals like Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, 45, the newly appointed Secretary-General of the Chamber of Commerce, were left.

In the meantime, the FPO emphasized its point.

“Austria needs a Chancellor Kickl now,” the statement on X stated.