Following unsuccessful attempts at forming a coalition with the NEOS party, Austria’s ÖVP and SPÖ will now negotiate directly with each other amid concerns of instability due to their slim parliamentary majority. President Alexander Van der Bellen emphasized the need for clarity in the coalition-building process. The potential for new elections looms if an agreement is not reached, with the right-wing FPÖ party leading in polls and pushing for a governmental role under party leader Herbert Kickl.

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