Austrian Conservatives Keep Euro-Skeptic Pact in Play
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Austrian conservatives kept the option to form a government with euro-skeptic parties and abandon an alliance with the socialists after voters dealt that coalition an historical blow in yesterday’s national elections.
The conservative People’s Party, led by Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger, failed to overtake Chancellor Werner Faymann’s Social Democrats as both groups achieved the worst result since 1945. Spindelegger, who would need support by two groups that demand an end to euro-area rescue measures to reach an alternative majority, wouldn’t pledge his support for a new Socialist-led government, saying it’s up to Faymann to make the first move.