“We have been negotiating honestly for a long time,” Nehammer said in a statement to X on Saturday. “It is impossible to agree with the SPÖ on key points,” he added.
“The People’s Party keeps its promises. We will not agree to new taxes or measures that are hostile to benefits and business,” Nehammer said. “We therefore end negotiations with the SPÖ,” he said.
Prime Minister Nehammer said, “I will step down from my position as prime minister and leader of the People’s Party in the future to enable an orderly transition.”
The collapse of talks that officially began last November will strengthen the power of the anti-immigration, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPÖ), which came first in September’s general election but has been blocked from forming a government. All other major political parties refuse to cooperate.
On Friday, FPÖ Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz called on Nehammer to resign following the NEOS withdrawal. “The FPÖ has been warning for months about the political monster of a loser-traffic light coalition based on the German model,” Schnedlitz said.
Seb Starcevic contributed to this report.
