Austrian conservatives, Greens see deal soon

VIENNA: Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz is on the brink of returning to power as a coalition deal with the left-wing Greens is likely to be struck this week, three months after his party won a parliamentary election, both sides indicated on Sunday. Late on Saturday, the Greens called a meeting of their party’s top decision-making body next weekend to sign off on a deal, indicating they expect the accord to be finalised before then. On Sunday morning, Kurz and Greens leader Werner Kogler said the deal could happen “by the middle of the coming week”. A deal would make Kurz chancellor again after his coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed in May over a video sting that felled FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache. A provisional government of civil servants is in place for the time being until a coalition is formed. — Reuters