Published: 10:21, January 6, 2025 | Updated: 21:07, January 6, 2025
Austrian president gives Freedom Party mandate to form govt
By Xinhua
Austria's President Alexander van der Bellen (left) hosts the leader of the far-right Freedom party Herbert Kickl for talks on Jan 6, 2025 at the presidential Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. (PHOTO / AFP)

VIENNA - Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday tasked Freedom Party's leader Herbert Kickl with forming a new government.

The move came after the collapse of three-party coalition talks among the People's Party, the Social Democratic Party and the NEOS and later the failure of two-party negotiations following the NEOS' withdrawal.

READ MORE: Austrian chancellor to resign after coalition talks collapse

In last September's parliamentary election, the far-right Freedom Party came first with around 29 percent of the vote, followed by the People's Party and the Social Democratic Party with 26.3 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively.