Austrian leader says far right should have chance to form government

Austria's outgoing Chancellor Karl Nehammer says the leader of the far-right FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, should be given the first chance at forming a new government after elections on the weekend.

"From my point of view, it is a good tradition" that the party that comes top in an election is also given the first chance to explore coalition options, the conservative leader said after a meeting of his ÖVP party on Tuesday.

The populist FPÖ won the parliamentary elections on Sunday with around 29% of the vote. The ÖVP suffered a sharp drop in votes and came in second with 26%.

The ÖVP's current stance is that a coalition with the FPÖ would only be conceivable if Kickl himself did not take up a government post.

However, Kickl has reiterated his claim to the chancellorship after the election. All other parties completely rule out joing a coalition with the FPÖ.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen is tasked with choosing who gets the mandate to form a government - he is set to present his plan for the way forward on Wednesday.

Van der Bellen said on Sunday that the FPÖ must not only convince the other parties to join them, but also convince him personally. The president said he will pay particular attention to whether the FPÖ will observe democratic values and human rights.

An alliance between the ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ is seen as a possible alternative to a government under Kickl, possibly in a broader coalition with the liberal Neos.

Nehammer did not want to comment on his possible options for the time being.

"What the Austrians deserve is a stable government that can deal with the new challenges and, above all, shape the future of this country," Nehammer said. The ÖVP party executive unanimously expressed its confidence in him at the meeting, despite the election defeat.