Austrian government set to collapse

Vienna: Austria's conservatives called yesterday for a snap election as early as September, saying their coalition with Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer's Social Democrats had broken down irretrievably.

The two parties have been in a "grand coalition" since January 2007 but have feuded constantly over policy including health reform, taxes and schools.

Common ground

Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer, head of the conservative People's Party, told a news conference: "Enough is enough. Good work in this government is no longer possible. The Social Democrats have left the common ground of the government."

"The Social Democrats are without orientation or leadership. We can't let the Social Democratic crisis become an Austrian crisis. We have to create clarity," he added.

He said the election could be held as early as September 14, depending how fast parliament could be dissolved. Molterer said he had asked the Social Democrats to join the People's Party to forge the simple majority needed to break up parliament.

Coalition tensions boiled over in late June after Gusenbauer, in a sudden turnabout, called for a referendum on future changes to European Union treaties. Conservatives branded this a populist gambit to reverse a fall in Social Democratic poll ratings.

Social Democratic leaders said the conservatives' reaction was exaggerated.

Austrian Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer will be the "100 per cent" prime candidate of his conservative People's Party in early elections proposed for September 14 or 21, party officials said yesterday.

He most likely will compete with Werner Faymann, who recently was appointed head of the Social Democrats after Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer resigned as party chief.

Gusenbauer told his party's assembly on Monday that he definitely will "not be available" as prime candidate, which according to the officials more or less means that he will not touch any major political function in the future.

Trustful followers of Austria's Social Democrats yesterday expressed disappointment in various online platforms over the failure of the party to establish itself as a strong political force and a counterpart to the Conservatives.

Austrian daily Der Standard reported that disenchanted socialists, unionists and other leftist including Austria's Communist party are planning to establish a new "Worker's Party" as their political habitat.

"The time has come to discuss about a new left party project", unionist and Social Democratic party official Klaus Kotschnig told the newspaper.

The conservative daily Die Presse reported that the People's Party is set to run a "quick and intense" election campaign, hoping to end up with a majority.