Unofficial politics

This is how pink decided to blow up Zuckerl

Beate Meinl-Reisinger (right) settled accounts with the two old parties. The NEOS no longer see any point in government negotiations.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER, stock.adobe.com)

The chronology of failure. After 96 days, the government negotiations fail. Pension reform was the sticking point. The "Krone" takes a look behind the scenes.

On the way home - after hours of tough negotiations - Karl Nehammer already had the feeling that the NEOS were on the brink of collapse. On Friday, around eight o'clock in the morning, the Federal Chancellor received confirmation of his gut feeling. NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger called the ÖVP leader and gave him the bad news. The Pinks no longer see any point in the government negotiations. This was a bitter pill for the Republic, the ÖVP and the SPÖ on the very third day of the new year.