Austrian Freedom Party ministers quit

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer and two other Freedom Party ministers have resigned from their government posts tonight.

It comes amid a rift in their party, throwing the future of Austria’s government into question.

Riess-Passer, Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and the party’s parliamentary speaker, Peter Westenthaler, said they were resigning from their posts in an ongoing conflict with far-right Joerg Haider, the party’s former leader.

Haider is currently governor of the south-west province of Carinthia.

Riess-Passer, who is also the Freedom Party’s leader, said the recent conflict made it impossible for the party to work effectively.

The resignations were a clear victory for Haider, who has opposed the work of the government coalition. They also were expected to lead to early elections.

The Austria Press Agency, citing unnamed Freedom Party sources, said the current centre-right coalition led by Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel’s People’s Party would end its work on September 19 and that new elections would take place in November.

The Freedom Party will meet on October 20 to elect a new leadership, Riess-Passer said. Until then, Defence Minister Herbert Scheibner will act as party leader.

Riess-Passer said she was forced to recognise “a motion of no confidence” from within the party ranks.

“These intra-party disagreements have crippled the party and have seriously hurt the trust of the voters,” she said. “It’s my view that this is the only honest way to go.”

The Freedom Party has been plagued for months by an underlying conflict over who is in control: Riess-Passer, the elected leader, or Haider, a controversial but charismatic figure known for past comments defending the Hitler era.

Most recently, the conflict has centred on the issue of a government proposal to reform the tax system in 2003 to benefit low-income groups.

Due to vast damage caused by recent record floods, the governing coalition has said it can no longer afford to pass the reform next year.

Haider initially insisted that the tax package be passed on schedule and called for the extraordinary conference to determine party policy.

Over the past few days, however, Haider had expressed a willingness to avoid steps that could led to a collapse of the governing coalition.

Today’s resignations came a day after some 400 Freedom Party delegates loyal to Haider met to discuss party policy, and seemed willing to find a compromise with the party members in the government.

That meeting has been widely viewed as an attempt by Haider to bring down his rivals.