Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg to become caretaker chancellor

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will be named caretaker chancellor on Wednesday, taking over from outgoing Karl Nehammer, who quit after the first post-election coalition talks collapsed. 

Schallenberg previously acted as Austrian chancellor in 2021 after Sebastian Kurz stepped down amidst corruption allegations. 

Austria’s conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP)-led government will remain in power as caretakers until a new coalition is formed. 

Far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl’s party secured victory in recent parliamentary elections, winning 28.8% of the vote and surpassing outgoing Nehammer’s ÖVP, which came in second. 

However, the ÖVP refused to enter a coalition with the FPÖ under Kickl – leading to a political stalemate. 

Efforts to form a governing alliance without the FPÖ failed by early January, prompting Nehammer to announce his resignation last Saturday. 

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen gave Kickl the green light to attempt to form a ruling coalition after the ÖVP failed to do so. 

Kickl yesterday extended an olive branch to the conservative ÖVP party, sharing plans to invite them to coalition talks despite their history of clashing heads.