Liberal Neos Exit Austria's Coalition Talks: What's Next?

Austria's coalition talks are in jeopardy as the liberal Neos exit negotiations, leaving the far-right Freedom Party waiting in the wings. Neos's leader criticizes the lack of ambition in talks with the People's Party and Social Democrats but remains open to supporting pre-agreed projects in parliament.

In a dramatic turn of events, Austria's coalition negotiations have hit a significant roadblock as the liberal Neos, the smallest party among the centrists, announced its withdrawal from the talks.

The decision, revealed by Neos's leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger, disrupts discussions that had already sidelined the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which gained the majority in the recent elections. The FPO criticized the talks as undemocratic, describing them as a 'coalition of losers'.

Despite exiting the talks, Meinl-Reisinger indicated that Neos might still lend parliamentary support to agreed-upon projects. Meanwhile, the possibility of a two-way coalition between Karl Nehammer's People's Party (OVP) and the Social Democrats (SPO) remains, albeit with a slim majority.

(With inputs from agencies.)