President Van der Bellen of Austria has tasked Herbert Kickl, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, with forming a government coalition after the party won the most votes in a general election. The coalition talks could potentially result in Kickl becoming Austria’s first far-right chancellor, despite mainstream parties initially refusing to work with him due to concerns about his anti-immigrant views and ties to Moscow. If the conservatives and the Freedom Party can’t reach an agreement, new elections may be called, which would be a rare occurrence in Austria and would have significant implications for the country and its relationship with the European Union.
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