Sunday, January 5

Yet another European country has been plunged into political chaos amid an unstable time for governments-- this time, Austria is the one affected.

Following the collapse of coalition talks between parties, Austrian chancellor Karl Nehmammer announced his resignation from his post as chancellor and as leader of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).

Currently, there are five primary parties in the Austrian parliament: the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), the Greens, and the New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS). The FPÖ is far-right, the ÖVP is slightly conservative, the SPÖ and the Greens lean left, and NEOS is extremely liberal. While these five parties make up the parliament, no single party has enough members to attain a majority, so coalitions must be made between parties with similar views.

In recent years, a successful coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens led to the rise of Karl Nehmammer's government, but their support has been dwindling in recent times. Far-right governments have been gaining ground across Europe, and Austria is no exception. In September's elections, the far-right FPÖ won with the largest percentage of 29%, but still nowhere close enough to achieve a majority in Parliament.

Due to this, centrist parties began talks over forming a coalition that could shut out the FPÖ, but those talks broke down yesterday after disagreements between the ÖVP and the SPÖ over issues like taxes. NEOS had already left the coalition talks earlier in the week.

Now, the most likely coalition will be between the FPÖ and the ÖVP, as they are both on the conservative side of the scale. It will depend on who the new leader of the ÖVP is, as Nehmammer is resigning, but a large portion of the party is in favor of the idea. If the FPÖ and the ÖVP were to join forces, they would easily gain the majority, also resulting in a far-right government that completely contrasts the views of other parties.

Another option would be for the government to call for snap elections, which is used to gain ground against other parties. However, as shown by Macron's snap elections in summer 2024, that can backfire on the party who calls it. Polls show, though, that the FPÖ has gained even more ground since September's election, meaning that calling for a snap election could prove detrimental to the ÖVP's coalition efforts while boosting the FPÖ into a better position.

Fact of the Day: After a five-year selection process, Idaho chose the Idaho giant salamander as their official state amphibian. These salamanders are, in fact, massive, growing up to 13 inches in length.

Quote of the Day: You don’t get stressed if you think of your job as a hobby, not as a duty. (Henry Lau)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Fulminate (verb, FULL-muh-nayt) - To fulminate is to complain loudly or angrily about something.

In a Sentence: The editorial fulminated against the corruption in the state government that has been recently uncovered.