Wed Jan 08 10:13:45 UTC 2025: ## Austria’s Foreign Minister to Serve as Interim Leader Amidst Coalition Talks
**Vienna, Austria (January 8, 2025)** – Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will assume the role of interim chancellor following the resignation of Karl Nehammer, President Alexander Van der Bellen’s office announced today. Nehammer stepped down after his attempts to form a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party failed. Schallenberg, who previously served as chancellor for a brief period in 2021, will lead an interim government until a new coalition can be formed.
The Freedom Party, which won the September parliamentary elections, initially faced resistance from other parties in forming a coalition. However, following Nehammer’s resignation, his conservative Austrian People’s Party reversed its stance and authorized Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl to attempt coalition negotiations. Kickl received the mandate on January 6th to form what would be Austria’s first far-right led government since World War II. This process is expected to take several weeks, or even months, and its success is not guaranteed.
Schallenberg has publicly stated that he will not remain in a government led by Kickl. Nehammer’s official departure is scheduled for Friday, January 10th.
First Piper 