Austria’s president Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, with forming a coalition government.
If the talks are successful, Austria will, for the first time, have a government led by the Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPO).
The FPO has been in power before, but only as a junior coalition partner.
The party came first in September’s elections, with roughly 29% of the vote, but was then sidelined.