Austria's Government Formation Efforts End in Failure

Austria's far-right populist Freedom Party (FP) has officially ended its attempts to form a coalition government with the conservative People's Party (VP) after several weeks of negotiations, marking the second failed attempt since the September election. The FP, known for its anti-immigration and eurosceptic views, had been negotiating with the VP since early January, but talks broke down due to disagreements over key positions, with FP leader Herbert Kickl insisting on holding the interior and finance ministries. The VP subsequently stated that the talks failed due to Kickl's "thirst for power and uncompromising attitude". The FP is now in a state of political uncertainty.