The Austrian newspaper “Kronen Zeitung” reported that the leadership of the conservative People’s party in the country appointed Secretary-General Christian Stocker as interim leader of the party, on Sunday, to replace Chancellor Karl NY hammer, who stepped down after the collapse of talks to form a governing coalition.
The newspaper said Stoker, 64, would take over as interim leader.
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is expected to deliver a speech later in the day, after the collapse of talks between the two largest center-right parties in the country on the formation of a coalition government, according to the “Reuters” news agency.
Breakdown of talks
On Saturday, nyhammer announced the collapse of talks between the two largest parties belonging to the center current on the formation of a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party.
This came a day after the party “New Austria and the Liberal forum” withdrew from the negotiations, accusing other parties of failing to take bold and decisive action on the formation of the government that it said it had called for.
“I will step down as chancellor and the leadership of the (conservative) People’s party in the coming days, and I will work to achieve an orderly transition,” niehammer said in a video statement on the “X”platform, after holding talks with the SPD on the formation of the coalition government in the absence of the new Austria party.
The right-wing, pro-Russian Freedom Party won the parliamentary elections held last September, receiving 29 percent of the vote.
The Freedom Party needs a coalition partner to form a government, but there are no signs yet of a potential partner, with NY hammer ruling out working with the leader of the Freedom Party, Herbert Kickel.
