
The People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democrats (SPÖ) are set to hold exploratory talks on Friday about forming Austria’s next coalition government.
Austrian Chancellor and ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer was tasked with forming a government by President Alexander Van der Bellen earlier this week.
In Austria, the president traditionally hands the mandate to form a government to the leader of the winning party following elections. This time, however, all parties have ruled out working with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which made history by winning the most votes in the September 29 parliamentary elections.
To secure a stable majority in parliament, the ÖVP and SPÖ will likely need a third coalition partner.
Nehammer, who has served as Chancellor since December 2021, is also set to meet Green Party leader and current Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler, as well as Beate Meinl-Reisinger, head of the liberal NEOS party.
Despite this, detailed negotiations and any firm decisions may be some time off.