Austria’s chancellor asked to form new government after parties refuse to work with far-right leader

Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — Austria’s president has tasked the incumbent chancellor with forming a new government after all other parties refused to work with the leader of the far-right Freedom Party. Traditionally, the head of state has asked the leader of the strongest party to form a government. But he dispensed with that tradition this time after the election produced a stalemate. Whoever leads the next government will need to build a coalition to have a parliamentary majority. But Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative party has said it wouldn’t work with the Freedom Party under its leader, Herbert Kickl. The other three parties in the new parliament said they wouldn’t work with the Freedom Party at all.