Austria's Conservatives Appoint Interim Leader After Chancellor Nehammer Steps Down

Austria’s ruling conservative party, the People’s Party (ÖVP), has appointed Secretary-General Christian Stocker as the interim leader following the resignation of Chancellor Karl Nehammer. Nehammer stepped down after failing to form a coalition government that excluded the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).

Speaking after the ÖVP’s crisis leadership meeting on Sunday, Nehammer described the decisions made as "important and correct," though he refrained from providing further details. The ÖVP has not officially commented on Stocker's interim appointment.

The collapse of coalition talks leaves Austria facing uncertain political prospects. President Alexander Van der Bellen is now weighing his options, which include calling a snap election or tasking FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl with forming a government. The FPÖ, a eurosceptic and Russia-friendly party, won September’s parliamentary election with approximately 29% of the vote and has continued to gain support, outpacing both the ÖVP and Social Democrats.

Markus Wallner, governor of Vorarlberg and an ÖVP leader, warned of the risks to national stability. "We must do everything we can to avoid sliding towards a national crisis," Wallner told reporters, adding that he opposed a snap election, as it could delay the formation of a new government by several months.

Nehammer’s refusal to align with the FPÖ stemmed from his concerns over Kickl’s controversial positions, which he described as conspiratorial and a security risk. Despite this, political observers suggest that Nehammer’s successor may adopt a more pragmatic stance toward collaboration with the FPÖ, a party that has significant policy overlap with the ÖVP, particularly on immigration.

The FPÖ, formally allied with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, governs in five of Austria’s nine states alongside the ÖVP. However, at the national level, any potential alliance would mark the ÖVP’s first time as a junior partner in such a coalition, a scenario unappealing to many party members.

Former ÖVP leader Sebastian Kurz, once a key figure in Austrian politics, was initially rumored to return but has since been ruled out, leaving lesser-known candidates, such as Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, as possible successors.

In a pointed message on X (formerly Twitter), the FPÖ reiterated its position: “Austria needs a Chancellor Kickl now.”