VIENNA (Reuters) - The head of Austria's provisional government has raised pressure on ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservatives and the Greens to strike a coalition deal by January or else her cabinet would start taking more far-reaching, political decisions.
Brigitte Bierlein, a career judge, heads a temporary government of civil servants that took office after the previous right-wing government collapsed in the wake of a video sting scandal that felled the far right's then-leader. Bierlein says her government's role is simply to administer the country.
Kurz's People's Party (OVP) clearly won the Sept. 29 parliamentary election with 37.5% of the vote but needs a coalition partner to command a majority in the lower house. It is in coalition talks with the Greens, and though few details have emerged, both sides say significant differences remain.
"We hope for a conclusion soon. Whether that is (by) Christmas or January is not so important," Bierlein said in an interview with newspaper Der Standard published on Wednesday. "But if the process drags on longer, the public would cease to be as accepting of our understanding of our mandate."
Polls suggest Bierlein's government is well-liked despite, or perhaps because of, its discretion and limited action.
"We have thus far not filled any senior positions - no ambassadors, no department heads, initiated no legislation, with few exceptions. If this takes longer, we as a government would therefore have to reflect on and change our understanding of our mandate, in consultation with the president," she added.
Her cabinet of career civil servants has depicted itself as technocratic but it was still the result of a compromise between the three main parties - the OVP, the Social Democrats and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) - and its ministers are seen as close to one or two of them.
Bierlein was appointed vice president and then president of the Constitutional Court under the same political constellation - coalitions between the OVP and FPO.
Asked if she had any inside information on how the talks are going, Bierlein said: "No. I do not know more than you."
Her comments could play into the hands of Kurz's conservatives, who are widely seen as preferring to reach a deal quickly. The Greens have said they are in no hurry.
"In the long run this cannot go on, because one cannot put off many decisions endlessly," Bierlein said.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
