With the Freedom Party (FPÖ) unable to form a government, Austria is now in an unclear political situation. The leader of the Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, has called for swift new elections and blamed ÖVP for the collapse, accusing the party of being unwilling to make compromises and playing "power games".

Austria's president sought on Thursday to find a path towards a centrist ruling coalition without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) after the FPO's bid to lead a government for the first time failed.

However, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen did not give the Freedom Party leader the mandate to form a coalition government until January, after attempts to form a coalition bloc without Kickl’s party failed. There has not been a far-right leading party in Austria’s government since World War II.

Head of far-right Freedom Party Herbert Kickl gives a press statement after ending coalition talks with People's Party (OEVP) in Vienna, Austria, Feb 12, 2025. [Photo/Agencies] Austria's far-right Freedom Party is calling for a new general election after talks about forming a coalition government broke down this week.

Talks to form Austria's first coalition government led by the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed on Wednesday, days after the FPO's negotiations with the conservative People's Party (OVP) ground to a halt,

Coalition talks between Austria's far-right Freedom Party and the conservative Austrian People's Party have buckled, with the two parties deadlocked over how posts should be assigned.

The FPÖ has returned its mandate to the president, the ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen, who must find a solution to get the country out of the political stalemate it has been in since the September 2024 legislative elections.