Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has been sworn in as interim chancellor after former Chancellor Karl Nehammer resigned last weekend, Euronews reported.
His appointment comes as far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl has been invited to lead coalition talks to form a new government.
Nehammer decided to step down after coalition talks between his People's Party (ÖVP), the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos party, which were aimed primarily at keeping the FPÖ out of power, collapsed when Neos withdrew.
This will be Schallenberg's second short term as Austria's leader. He previously served as chancellor for less than two months at the end of 2021 after Sebastian Kurz resigned, before handing over the role to Nehammer and returning to his post as foreign minister.
Although the FPÖ came in first place in Austria's elections, other parties have refused to work with it. The ÖVP, in particular, has said it will not work with the controversial Kickl, whom it has described as a "security risk."
The ÖVP made a U-turn after Nehammer resigned, and coalition talks are currently underway between the two parties.
Schallenberg, a longtime diplomat and foreign minister since 2019, has said he will not remain in a Kickl-led government.
For his part, the far-right leader said he planned to start coalition talks with clear demands, including that his party's election victory be respected and past mistakes be corrected. | BGNES
