President Alexander Van der Bellen’s office said in a statement that the head of state will formally task Schallenberg with “continuing the management of the chancellery and leading the interim govern

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will serve as the country's interim leader while the far-right Freedom Party attempts to put together a new coalition government, the president's office said Wednesday.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will be named caretaker chancellor later on Wednesday, Austrian media reported, taking over from Karl Nehammer, who quit when centrist coalition talks collapsed over the weekend.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg was named as interim chancellor on Wednesday as barbs between rival leaders began to fly ahead of new coalition talks led by the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).