Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) said on Wednesday that talks on forming a governing coalition with the conservative People's Party (ÖVP) have collapsed. The talks have been on shaky ground for days as the two parties bickered over a range of issues,

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.

The coalition negotiations have dragged on for four months after Austrians voted in September — the longest in the country's history. #EuropeNews

The collapse on Wednesday of the FPÖ’s talks with the conservative People’s Party (OVP), its only potential coalition partner, sends Austria back to the drawing board four-and-a-half months after a parliamentary election in which the eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPÖ came first with around 29 per cent.

The party’s inability to forge a coalition of the centre now threatens not only its future but also Austria’s democratic fabric. A robust, democratic centre-right is vital to political stability. If the ÖVP cannot recover, who will represent Austria’s conservative democratic voters? And where will they turn?

Coalition talks between Austria’s far-right Freedom party and its moderate conservative counterparts have collapsed over differences on Russia, the EU and control over intelligence operations, raising the possibility of a snap election in the central European country.

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,