Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has been named as the country's caretaker chancellor, filling the void left by the resignation of Karl Nehammer at the weekend.

The conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) has appointed its general secretary as its new leader after Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced his resignation from the post following the collapse of coalition talks over the weekend.

VIENNA (Reuters) -Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will take over as caretaker chancellor on Friday from Karl Nehammer, who quit when centrist coalition talks collapsed last weekend, President Alexander Van der Bellen's office said on Wednesday.

The leader of the anti-immigration, pro-Russia Freedom Party has been given the chance to try to form a government after months of coalition talks among mainstream parties collapsed.

Austrian far-right Freedom Party (FPO) leader Herbert Kickl confirmed on Tuesday he plans to invite the conservative People's Party (OVP) to hold coalition talks after he was tasked with forming a coalition government.

Attempts to form a government without the far-right Freedom Party collapsed in recent days, more than three months after it won a parliamentary election. President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday tasked its leader,

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has asked the leader of the country's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) to form a new ruling coalition in what could yield the first far-right-led government in Austria since World War II.

Austria’s Freedom Party, which is starting talks to lead the government, opposes sanctions on Russia and the EU’s support for Ukraine.