Austria's squabbling centrist coalition looked increasingly on the brink Friday as Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz made clear he would pull his centre-right People's Party (OeVP) out of the government if he becomes its new chief.
The 30-year-old political rising star is tipped to take over the OeVP following Wednesday's shock resignation of current chief Reinhold Mitterlehner after months of internal power struggles.
Snap parliamentary elections could herald the return to power of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), which is riding high in opinion polls.
"I think early elections are the right way," Kurz told a press conference in Vienna.
"There's an offer on the table for me to continue in the current government, swap a few heads and act as if nothing had happened," he said.
"But I think we'd end up in the same situation we've been stuck in for a long time. Small compromises would be struck which wouldn't lead to any changes."
Deep rifts have plagued the "grand coalition" between the OeVP and the Social Democrats (SPOe) led by Chancellor Christian Kern, spurring speculation that the unhappy union would dissolve long before the next scheduled election in autumn 2018.
Kern, who became chancellor just a year ago, has repeatedly insisted he did not want an early ballot.
"I don't see a single problem that would be solved with snap elections," he said on Thursday.
Like other centrist factions in Europe, the OeVP and SPOe have suffered the wrath of disillusioned voters over rising unemployment and a huge influx of migrants.
The parties, which have dominated Austrian politics since 1945, were dealt a disastrous blow in the 2016 presidential ballot when both their candidates failed to make it into the run-off.
Kurz has been hailed as the ideal candidate to boost the popularity of the OeVP, which is lagging behind the SPOe and the FPOe in opinion polls.
The centre-right bloc will meet on Sunday to choose its new leader.
Austria’s squabbling centrist coalition looked increasingly on the brink Friday as Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz made clear he would pull his centre-right People’s Party (OeVP) out of the government if he becomes its new chief.
The 30-year-old political rising star is tipped to take over the OeVP following Wednesday’s shock resignation of current chief Reinhold Mitterlehner after months of internal power struggles.
Snap parliamentary elections could herald the return to power of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), which is riding high in opinion polls.
“I think early elections are the right way,” Kurz told a press conference in Vienna.
“There’s an offer on the table for me to continue in the current government, swap a few heads and act as if nothing had happened,” he said.
“But I think we’d end up in the same situation we’ve been stuck in for a long time. Small compromises would be struck which wouldn’t lead to any changes.”
Deep rifts have plagued the “grand coalition” between the OeVP and the Social Democrats (SPOe) led by Chancellor Christian Kern, spurring speculation that the unhappy union would dissolve long before the next scheduled election in autumn 2018.
Kern, who became chancellor just a year ago, has repeatedly insisted he did not want an early ballot.
“I don’t see a single problem that would be solved with snap elections,” he said on Thursday.
Like other centrist factions in Europe, the OeVP and SPOe have suffered the wrath of disillusioned voters over rising unemployment and a huge influx of migrants.
The parties, which have dominated Austrian politics since 1945, were dealt a disastrous blow in the 2016 presidential ballot when both their candidates failed to make it into the run-off.
Kurz has been hailed as the ideal candidate to boost the popularity of the OeVP, which is lagging behind the SPOe and the FPOe in opinion polls.
The centre-right bloc will meet on Sunday to choose its new leader.
